On 21 September 2017, H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), participated in the opening ceremony of the 2nd ASEAN-China Youth Forum and delivered remarks.

Secretary-General Yang Xiuping briefed on the development of ASEAN-China relations and the fruitful outcomes of cooperation and exchanges in the fields of education and youth. She cited that since the establishment of dialogue relations in 1991, ASEAN-China political mutual trust has been deepened, practical cooperation intensified, and people-to-people exchanges have become ever closer. ASEAN-China relations have become the most active and robust relationship that ASEAN has with its dialogue partners. In the field of education, the student mobility between ASEAN and China exceeded 200,000. China has established 30 ASEAN-China Education and Training Centres in China, 31 Confucius Institutes and 35 Confucius Classrooms in ASEAN countries, as well as 4 Cultural Centres in Thailand, Singapore, Lao PDR and Cambodia. China has provided ASEAN-China Maritime Silk Road Scholarships for ASEAN Students to study in China by granting 1,000 scholarships to 10 ASEAN Member States this year. In the next three years, China will provide no less than 20,000 Chinese government scholarships to 10 ASEAN Member States.

Secretary-General Yang stated that in 2016, both sides carried out a series of commemorative activities to celebrate the 25th anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations as well as the Year of ASEAN-China Educational Exchange. This year marks the 50th anniversary of ASEAN and ASEAN-China Year of Tourism Cooperation. Next year will embrace the 15th anniversary of the ASEAN-China strategic partnership. In August of this year, the ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting welcomed the proposal to designate the year 2018 as ASEAN-China Year of Innovation Cooperation. The ASEAN-China cooperation embraces greater opportunities.

Secretary-General Yang briefed on ACC’s work in promoting ASEAN-China education cooperation and youth exchanges. She mentioned that in the past 6 years, ACC has strengthened collaborations with Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) and other partners, and become one of the co-organizers of the CAECW, facilitated the establishment of two platforms and five networks. ACC has been organising the Beijing ASEAN Students Sports Games every two years and New Year Gala for ASEAN Students every year. In 2016, ACC organized the ASEAN-China Youth Summer Camp and the 1st ASEAN-China Youth Forum on Youth and Humanities. Besides today’s forum, ACC is organizing the Chinese Language Competition for ASEAN Students in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region and will organize ASEAN-China Youth Winter Camp in the coming December.

Secretary-General Yang said that encouraging volunteerism among ASEAN Member States is one of the strategic measures in ASEAN Socio-cultural Community Blueprint 2025. Chinese government also actively advocates and promotes the spirit of volunteerism. The 2nd ASEAN-China Youth Forum is a meaningful platform to discuss youth social responsibility, and facilitate ASEAN-China youths to better serve the community development and better understand the challenges of volunteer jobs. She wished to encourage the participants to take this opportunity to share useful and practical experience, and exchange views and conduct in-depth discussions with the speakers. She spoke highly of the fruitful outcomes of cooperation and exchanges between Henan province, Zhengzhou University and ASEAN countries, and expected that the Forum could build a new bridge to deepen bilateral exchanges.

Secretary-General Yang encouraged all the students of both ASEAN and China to carry forward ASEAN-China friendship, and stay at the forefront of the new era, and contribute the due share to the progress of the society and fulfill the historic mission on the shoulders with determination, integrity and knowledge, and make greater contributions to national and regional prosperity and development.