On 27 September 2017, Mr. Ma Weiguang, Mayor of Shaoxing Municipal People’s Government, met with the Delegation of “Diplomatic Officials of ASEAN Countries in China Embracing Zhejiang”. Members of the delegation include H.E. Ms. Magdalene Teo, Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam to China, H.E. Mr. Yu Hongyao, representative of China Public Diplomacy Association (CPDA) and former Ambassador of China to Mongolia and the Maldives, H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), Mr. Ivan Frank M. Olea, Minister of the Embassy of Philippines in China, Mr. Han Win Aung, Minister Counselor of the Embassy of Myanmar in China and representatives of Embassies or Consulates-General of Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Viet Nam in China. Other officials of Shaoxing Municipal People’s Government present at the meeting were Ms. Gu Tao, Vice Mayor of Shaoxing, Mr. Zhang Changsheng, Secretary General of Shaoxing Municipal People’s Government, Mr. Gu Jianxin, Deputy Director-General of Department of Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs of Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government, and Mr. Zhou Baolin, Deputy Secretary-General of Shaoxing Municipal People’s Government.

Mr. Ma Weiguang welcomed the ASEAN diplomats to visit Shaoxing and thanked CPDA and ACC for their positive efforts to promote friendly exchanges between Shaoxing and ASEAN countries. He said that as a famous time-honoured cultural city to the south of the Yangtze River and an important manufacturing center of Zhejiang province, Shaoxing has maintained rapid economic development since the start of reform and opening up. In 2016 the city achieved RMB 471 billion in GDP, with an average per capita GDP of over USD 15,000. Shaoxing is home to a large number of private enterprises, and is now committed to economic transformation and upgrading. While vigorously developing the economy, the city also dedicates to improving natural environments such as air, water, and soil, as a result of which, the ecological environment has been significantly improved. With the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, trade and investment between Shaoxing and ASEAN countries have become more active. From January to August 2017, the total import-export value between the city and ASEAN countries exceeded RMB 12 billion, and hundreds of ASEAN enterprises invested and operated business in Shaoxing, which made a positive contribution to the city’s economic development. At the same time, exchanges between Shaoxing and ASEAN countries in culture, tourism, and other fields have also been expanding. Every year, many Shaoxing citizens travel to ASEAN countries, which have promoted friendly exchanges between the two sides. He hoped that the two sides would make joint efforts to carry out more exchanges in the future, promote mutual understanding, expand cooperation areas, and achieve common development.

On behalf of the ASEAN delegation, H.E. Ms. Magdalene Teo, Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam to China, thanked the Shaoxing municipal government for its warm reception, adding that many members of the delegation, including herself, were visiting Shaoxing for the first time. She had heard that Shaoxing is a famous cultural city with a history of 2,500 years and Shaoxing wine is well-known both at home and abroad. She was glad to have the opportunity to appreciate the beautiful scenery and profound culture of the city. ASEAN countries and Shaoxing have conducted fruitful cooperation in the areas of trade, investment and tourism. She believed that with the completion of the ASEAN Community and the upgraded version of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area, the two sides will have more room for cooperation in the textile industry and other fields. ASEAN countries are willing to partake in the Belt and Road Initiative, further strengthen trade and cultural cooperation and people-to-people exchanges with Shaoxing in various fields, and make joint efforts to realize win-win development.

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