（17 July 2015, The Presidential Hotel, Beijing）
Your Excellency Mr. IWATANI Shigeo, Secretary-General of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat,
Professor Qin Yaqing, President of China Foreign Affairs University,
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning!
First of all, on behalf of the ASEAN-China Centre, I would like to warmly congratulate the opening of the Seminar on East Asia Cooperation. I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat as well as China Foreign Affairs University for their excellent preparatory works and thoughtful arrangements. Wishing this Seminar a great success!
The theme of the Seminar is “From ASEAN Community to East Asia Community”. East Asian countries are geographically close, economically complementary and culturally connected. A successful East Asia is crucial to the whole world. Strengthening of East Asia cooperation will not only benefit local interests of this region, but is also of great significance to the global peace and stability.
Currently, the cooperation in various areas has been flourishing across East Asia. Dialogue and cooperation have been the focus of the relations between nations, and development and mutual benefits have been the objectives of cooperation in this region. Mechanisms such as ASEAN Plus One, ASEAN Plus Three, East Asia Summit, Trilateral Cooperation among China, Japan and Korea, have continuously expanded and deepened. As the main channel of East Asia cooperation, the ASEAN Plus Three has been playing a major role with tremendous results in promoting regional integration, economic development and stability. However, at the same time, East Asia Cooperation also faces some difficulties, such as downward pressure on the regional economic growth and a fast growing of non-traditional security challenges. We should not avoid those problems. Instead, we should face and solve the problems together through dialogues and consultations. In short, it is still a long journey to realize the establishment of East Asia Community which requires joint efforts of the relevant countries in this region.
Regional integration will enter a new stage when the ASEAN Community is to be established by the end of the year. With a total GDP of 3 trillion USD, ASEAN Community will become the world’s seventh largest economy. The establishment of ASEAN Community will inject a new momentum to regional cooperation and will play an even more important role in the construction of East Asia Community.
Dear Guests,
With the goals and paths clearly defined, ASEAN-China relations face even brighter prospects. As the first and the only inter-governmental international organization which were co-founded by the governments of ASEAN Member States and China, ACC has been vigorously implementing the mandates of our leaders, enhancing practical and mutual beneficial cooperation on trade, investment, education, culture and tourism between ASEAN and China, and firmly supporting the building of ASEAN Community. ACC has been conducting exchanges with the ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN-Korea Centre, ASEAN-Japan Centre and the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat on a regular basis by sharing experiences and exploring possible cooperation.
ACC will continue its efforts to become a promoter of good neighborliness and mutual trust, facilitator of functional cooperation and messenger of friendship, and continue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with relevant parties, so as to further make great contributions to the development of ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership.
Once again, I wish the Seminar a complete success!
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