On 23 February 2017, H. E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) met with Mr. Dai Yuming, Vice Mayor of Sanya, and exchanged views on promoting practical cooperation between ASEAN and Sanya. Mr. Ye Kaizhong, Deputy Director of Sanya Tourism Development Commission, Mr. Gao Yawu, Consultant of the Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, Ms. Che Yi, Vice President of Sanya University and Mr. Zhang Xuehai, Deputy Director of Information and Public Relation Division of ACC, attended the meeting.

Vice Mayor Dai Yuming welcomed the delegation of ACC led by Secretary-General Yang Xiuping to Sanya, and introduced economic and social development of Sanya. He stated that Sanya is a popular tropical tourism destination with unique location advantage. It received more than 16 million tourists in 2016. Sanya has taken an active part in the development of the Belt and Road Initiative in hope of further expanding international exchanges and cooperation in its urban development endeavour by giving priority to ASEAN. In 2016, the First Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Leaders’ Meeting and the Forum of Lanchang-Mekong Tourist City Cooperation were successfully held in Sanya, which has provided new opportunities for Sanya to increase exchanges with the countries along the Mekong River and ASEAN countries. As an inter-governmental organization, ACC has been an important platform to promote friendly exchanges and practical cooperation between China and ASEAN. He looked forward to ACC’s continuous support and assistance in promoting Sanya-ASEAN cooperation in various areas to a new level.

Secretary-general Yang positively evaluated the achievements of economic and social development of Sanya, as well as its contribution in promoting ASEAN-China relations and Lancang-Mekong cooperation, and briefly introduced ACC’s functions and relevant work. She said that Sanya has its unique location advantage to strengthen cooperation and exchanges with ASEAN countries, and has immense potentials of cooperation in the fields of tourism and tropical agriculture. The year 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of ASEAN and ASEAN-China Year of Tourism Cooperation, as well as the United Nations International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. She foresaw that Sanya could grasp the golden opportunity, fully play its own advantages and tap the cooperation potentials with relevant cities of ASEAN countries, so as to achieve win-win outcomes and common development to the benefit of the two peoples.

?