On 4 January 2017, H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), met with Mr. Xiao Qian, Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, during which they exchanged views on ASEAN-China practical cooperation. Ms. Cao Jing, Counsellor and Director of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Ms. Huang Ying, Director of General Affairs and Coordination Division of ACC, and Mr. Zhang Xuehai, Deputy Director of Information and Public Relations Division of ACC, attended the meeting.

Secretary-General Yang thanked the Chinese Foreign Ministry, especially its Asian Department, for their support and assistance rendered to ACC over the years. She said that ASEAN-China relations embrace new opportunities for development in 2017 which marks the 50th anniversary of ASEAN and the ASEAN-China Year of Tourism Cooperation. ACC will continue to act on the important consensus reached by the leaders of ASEAN countries and China, fully harness its role as a one-stop information and activities centre, carry out the 19 flagship projects approved by the Joint Council of ACC (ACCJC) and take solid steps to advance practical cooperation in trade, investment, education, culture, tourism, information and media to the benefit of the people of both sides.

Mr. Xiao Qian appreciated ACC’s important role as a platform in promoting ASEAN-China practical cooperation and gave an update on the development of ASEAN-China relations. He said that the Chinese government has all along given priority to ASEAN in its neighbourhood diplomacy and stands committed to deepening friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation with ASEAN in all fields. The China-ASEAN Summit held in Lao PDR in September 2016 drew up a new blueprint for the development of the relations between the two sides and opened up broad prospects for future cooperation. He hoped that ACC would build on the good work, seize the new opportunities and fully leverage its unique strengths to make even greater contribution to ASEAN-China relations.