On 29 July 2017, during the 10th China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week (CAECW), H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), gave interviews to Xinhua News Agency, Xinhua Net, China News Service, China Report, China Education Daily, Guizhou Daily, Guian News, Guizhou Radio, Colourful Guizhou Website, Guangxi Daily and other Chinese media on ASEAN-China relations as well as ASEAN-China education exchanges and cooperation.

Secretary-General Yang stated that ASEAN and China are friendly neighbours. Since the establishment of dialogue relations in 1991, ASEAN and China have formed an all-dimensional, multi-tiered, and wide-ranging cooperation framework, and achieved fruitful outcomes benefiting both peoples. In 2016, the two-way trade value reached USD 452.2 billion, mutual visits exceeded 31.8 million and exchange students surpassed 200,000. China has set up 31 Confucius Institutes, 35 Confucius Classrooms and 4 Culture Centres in ASEAN countries. ASEAN-China relations have become the most fruitful and robust relations among ASEAN’s relations with its dialogue partners. Currently, both sides are actively pushing forward the coordination of the Belt and Road Initiative, and ASEAN Vision 2025 and Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025. All these have brought new and important opportunities and broader prospects to the in-depth and sustained development of bilateral relations.

Secretary-General Yang briefed on ACC’s mandate and work. She said that as an intergovernmental organization co-founded by ten ASEAN Member States and China, ACC has been actively implementing important consensus reached by both sides’ leaders and promoting practical cooperation in trade, investment, education, culture, tourism and information and media since its inception in November 2011. As of the end of 2016, ACC had undertaken over 100 flagship projects, and organized or participated in over 500 events. In education area, ACC actively serves as a bridge and bond to facilitate the building of cooperation mechanisms such as the ASEAN-China Language and Culture Centre and ASEAN-China Language and Culture Education Base, promote the signing of more than 450 MoUs between ASEAN and Chinese vocational education institutions, and help over 450 ASEAN students to study in China through scholarships of various Chinese channels.

Secretary-General Yang stated that the continuously deepening ASEAN-China cooperation in education, tourism and other areas has made important contributions to people-to-people connectivity and gained popular support for in-depth development of the bilateral strategic partnership. As an important platform for education cooperation, CAECW has grown from strength to strength with greater influence and notable achievements, which has gained wide recognition and acclamation from various parties. Since 2012, ACC has actively participated in CAECW. As the co-organizer of 10th CAECW, ACC hosted and supported seven events during the curtain-up period of CAECW covering areas of vocational education, university-enterprise cooperation, tourism education, cultivation of professionals for the Belt and Road. ACC facilitated the establishment of the “Belt and Road” University-Enterprise Alliance for Talent Development Cooperation, ASEAN-China Consortium for TVET Cooperation, China-ASEAN Tourism Education Alliance and so on. ACC would continue to join hands with various parties to give full play to its role of a one-stop information and activities centre so as to make even bigger contributions to ASEAN-China people-to-people exchanges and practical cooperation in various areas.

Secretary-General Yang thanked Chinese media for their efforts in covering ASEAN-China relations and cooperation outcomes. She hoped that they will continue to closely follow and support the development of ASEAN-China relations and make bigger contributions to ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership.