On 11 September 2017, the 12th China-ASEAN Cultural Forum, themed on Transmitting and Promoting Traditional Arts of China and ASEAN was held in Nanning, Guangxi. The forum was sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of China and the People’s Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and co-organized by the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) and National Culture and Art Vocational Education Teaching Guiding Committee. H.E. Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Md Yussof, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports of Brunei Darussalam, H.E. Mr. Dong Wei, Vice Minister of Culture of China, H.E. Mme. Li Kang, Vice Chairperson of the Political Consultative Conference of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, cultural and arts officials of both China and ASEAN Member States, experts and international organization representatives, totalling more than two hundred people attended the event. H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre was invited to the forum and delivered remarks.

Vice Minister Dong Wei said in his opening remarks that the China-ASEAN Cultural Forum has been successfully held for 11 terms and played an active role in promoting ASEAN-China cultural cooperation. He hoped that all participants could conduct in-depth communication, discuss ASEAN-China traditional arts exchange and cooperation mechanism, find ways to improve the quality of art education of both sides and create more opportunities to share art achievements. He said, the Ministry of Culture of China would join efforts with ASEAN partners to build, from the cultural perspective, a closer China-ASEAN?community?of?shared?future, and to cement cultural and public support for the development of all-around, healthy and sustained ASEAN-China relations, so as to pass on ASEAN-China traditional friendship from generation to generation.

Vice Chairperson Li Kang said, Guangxi has been actively taking part in the building of the Belt and Road in recent years, expanding all around exchanges and cooperation with ASEAN, forging the One bay connects eleven countries, Benign interaction among the east, middle and west model to chart a new course of Guangxi and ASEAN economic and cultural cooperation in the future. With the great supports from ASEAN governments, ACC and the Ministry of Culture of China, Guangxi will leverage its strength in resources and explore new space for ASEAN-China cultural exchange so as to make continuous achievements in Guangxi and ASEAN cultural cooperation. Guangxi will strengthen its cooperation with all parties and try to make new contributions to the building of the Belt and Road.

Minister Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi said, China-ASEAN Cultural Forum has played an important role in promoting multi-cultural development, enhancing people-to-people connectivity and strengthening common development of people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation of the two sides. Brunei has been actively implementing the 2014-2018 Plan of Action on ASEAN-China Cooperation in Culture, taking effective measures on cultural heritage protection, inheritance and innovation to promoting sustainable development of traditional culture. He expects that the forum could lead to broader and deeper cooperation between the two sides and contribute new efforts on the common development of culture of both ASEAN and China.

Secretary-General Yang said, the Belt and Road Initiative has presented broader prospects to the people-to-people and cultural exchanges between ASEAN and China. Taking this opportunity, ACC has organized a series of activities on ASEAN-China traditional arts exchanges to promote people-to-people connectivity and mutual appreciation. She made the following proposals for ASEAN-China traditional arts inheritance and development. First, make good use of educational cooperation platforms to promote personnel training to carry forward traditional arts. Second, find new ways of cooperation to nurture inner driving force for traditional arts development. Third, strengthen industrialization of traditional arts to broaden the channels for their development. She said that ACC would like to work with all sectors of ASEAN and China, seize the new opportunity and forge ahead to contribute more to the all-round and in-depth development of ASEAN China relations.

Secretary-General Yang spoke highly of the important role and fruitful achievements Guangxi has made in promoting ASEAN-China people-to-people and cultural exchanges. She said, Guangxi enjoys diversified arts, splendid culture, time-honoured history and unique advantages in making exchanges and cooperation with ASEAN. She believed that Guangxi will fully leverage it strengths in location, industry, resources and culture and play a more important role in ASEAN-China practical cooperation.

During the forum, lively discussions were also conducted to further strengthening ASEAN-China traditional arts development, cultural heritage protection, intangible cultural heritage preservation, performing arts and creative industry development.?