On 22 December 2017, H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) met with Mr. Zheng Gang and Ms. Huang Lihua, Deputy Directors General of Foreign Affairs Office of Jilin Province. Mr. Vongsine Sayyavong from the Embassy of Lao PDR, Mr. Abdul Aziz How Abdullah from the Embassy of Malaysia, Ms. Myo Sandar Naing from the Embassy of Myanmar, Ms. Nguyen Thi Quynh Nga from the Embassy of Viet Nam and Mr. Liu Zhijian, Director of European and U.S. Affairs Division of the Foreign Affairs Office of Jilin Province, and the Mr. Zhang Xuehai, Deputy Director of Information and Public Relations Division of ACC participated in the event.

Mr. Zheng Gang and Ms. Huang Lihua warmly welcomed Secretary-General Yang Xiuping and the representatives of the ASEAN Embassies in China. They congratulated the ASEAN-China Youth Winter Camp in Changchun hosted by ACC and organized by Jilin University. They briefed on the economic and social development of Jilin province. They mentioned that Jilin province is one of the 9 border provinces of China. Located in the Northeast Asian geometric center, Jilin has the geographical superiority in China. Jilin has outstanding advantages in the fields of science, education and humanities, and has 58 well-known universities such as Jilin University, and 48 percent of education gross enrollment ratio. Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, and Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry affiliated to Chinese Academy of Sciences and other national key scientific research institutions that have advantages?in the field of optoelectronic technology. The friendly exchanges and cooperation between Jilin province and ASEAN countries are expanding. As of November 2017, Jilin and ASEAN countries’ import and export value has totaled nearly USD 900 million. The total investment from Jilin province to the ASEAN countries is USD 830 million. The total investment from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei to Jilin is about USD 1.5 billion and they have set up 50 enterprises in Jilin. Jilin would like continue to use the beneficial platform set up by ACC to strengthen communication with the ASEAN embassies in China and deepen cooperation with ASEAN countries to achieve mutual benefits and common development.

Secretary-General Yang thanked the Foreign Office of Jilin Province for its strong support to ACC. She said that currently, China-ASEAN relations are on a crucial stage of development. The further implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative and the building of ASEAN community have opened up a wider space for bilateral cooperation. 2018 will be the 15th anniversary of ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership and the ASEAN-China Year of Innovation. She hoped that Jilin province will further tap the potential of cooperation with ASEAN countries, expand the convergence of interests, and deepen practical cooperation in the fields of trade, culture, education and tourism to make greater contributions to the development of ASEAN-China relations. ACC will continue to support Jilin province to expand friendly exchanges with ASEAN countries.

The representatives of the ASEAN countries’ embassies in China respectively briefed on their cooperation in the areas of trade, education and culture. They said that the trip deepened their understanding of Jilin province and they were impressed by the unique social and cultural customs of Jilin province. They looked forward to continuing to strengthen exchanges with Foreign Affairs Office of Jilin Province and actively explore mutually beneficial cooperation.