On 16 August 2016, the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) hosted the ASEAN-China Day Fair with Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (BPAFFC) to celebrate the 49th Anniversary of ASEAN and commemorate the 25th Anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations.
H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ACC, Mme. Tian Yan, Executive Vice President of BPAFFC，H.E. Mme. Vandy Bouthasavong, Ambassador of Lao PDR (Chair of ASEAN 2016), H.E. Mr. Loh Ka Leung, Ambassador of Singapore, H.E. Mme. Magdalene Teo, Ambassador of Brunei, H.E. Mrs. Khek M. Caimealy, Ambassador of Cambodia, H.E. Mr. Theerakun Niyom, Ambassador of Thailand, Mr. Han Fangming, Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference，Mr. Sun Guoxiang, Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Special Envoy for Asian Affairs，H.E. Mr. Hu Zhengyue, Vice President of China Public Diplomacy Association, H.E. Mr. Zhang Jiuhuan, Vice President of China Public Diplomacy Association, and other diplomats of embassies of ASEAN countries in China, and representatives of all walks of life from ASEAN and China totaling 200 attended the event.
Secretary-General Yang Xiuping expressed her heartfelt thanks to the ASEAN Embassies to China for their active participation and to BPAFFC for its valuable support to the event in her remarks. She set high values on the achievements of ASEAN Community building and the significant role played by ASEAN in promoting regional prosperity and stability. She said, over the past 25 years since the establishment of ASEAN-China dialogue relations, remarkable achievements had been made in ASEAN-China relations which had formed an all-dimensional, wide-ranging and multi-layered pattern of cooperation.
China had always given priority to ASEAN in its neighbouring diplomacy. It firmly supported the ASEAN Community building, ASEAN’s centrality in regional cooperation and ASEAN’s greater role in global and regional affairs. The Commemorative Summit Marking the 25th Anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations would be held in Lao PDR in September 2016, which was believed to inject new impetus into the development of ASEAN-China relations and open up broader prospects for the future. ACC hoped ASEAN-China Day Fair and other related events would promote cultural exchange, mutual understanding and friendship, so as to make new contributions to ASEAN-China relations.
Ambassador Loh Ka Leung said on behalf of the ASEAN side that ASEAN-China relations had made great development over the past 25 years. The cooperation of both sides in trade, investment, culture, education, science and technology continued to deepen and expand with remarkable achievements, contributing to the well-being of the people of both sides. ASEAN-China relations proved fruitful. In recent years, ASEAN and China enjoyed frequent people-to-people exchange. Over the past five years the number of Chinese visitors to ASEAN countries had increased by three times. Friendly communication of the people had gained popular support and laid a more solid public-opinion foundation for the development of the bilateral relations. China regarded ASEAN as important partners of joint construction of Belt and Road, which had opened up a new space for the development of ASEAN-China relations. Ambassador Loh Ka Leung wished ASEAN-China Day Fair a success and expressed confidence in ASEAN-China relations to reaching a new height in the next 25 years.
Executive Vice President Tian Yan said, BPAFFC had been attaching great importance to people-to-people exchange with ASEAN countries. Solid friendly ties had been established between BPAFFC and friendship-with-China organizations in ASEAN countries. With joint efforts, programs of exchange and cooperation in culture, economy, science, sports and youth affairs had yielded satisfactory results. BPAFFC was willing to take this opportunity to join hands with friendly organizations and individuals in ASEAN countries, and strengthen people-to-people exchange, thus cementing the public opinion and social foundation for China-ASEAN friendly relations and cooperation, and together painting the splendid picture of peace, friendship and win-win cooperation.
Arts of singing, dancing, specialties, national intangible cultural heritage, handicrafts and traditional magic of ASEAN countries and China were presented in the event. The guests interacted with artists from ASEAN countries and China actively, experiencing the unique charm of multi-culture, discussing the bright prospects of friendly exchange and cooperation between ASEAN and China.
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