On 9 December 2017, H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) met with Mr. Liang Zhiyong, Director of Guilin Convention & Exhibition Bureau (CEB), and Mr. Ye Bing, Deputy Director of Guilin Foreign Affairs and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office (FAO). Ms. Ye Hongyun, Chief of the Protocol Division of Guilin FAO, Mr. Qian Chengchen, Deputy Chief of the Investment Promotion Division of Guilin CEB, and Ms. Huang Ying, Director of the General Affairs and Coordination Division of ACC, attended the meeting.

Director Liang Zhiyong briefed on the China-ASEAN EXPO Tourism Exhibition held at Guilin. He said the Tourism Exhibition has already been successfully held in Guilin for three times, which received great support from ACC. Guilin CEB is going to closely follow the new development of China-ASEAN relations and carefully prepare for the 2018 Tourism Exhibition with innovative efforts, so as to inject more connotation to the Exhibition and build it into an important platform for China-ASEAN tourism cooperation. In this regard, Guilin CEB hopes to get continuous assistance from ACC.

Deputy Director Ye Bing said that ASEAN countries are important partners for Guilin to open up. Guilin maintains close ties with Pattaya of Thailand, Surakarta of Indonesia and Ha Long of Viet Nam. Guilin FAO would like to further enhance communication with ACC and actively participate in ACC’s activities to push forward the friendly exchanges between Guilin and ASEAN countries and produce more fruitful outcomes.

Secretary-General Yang Xiuping said that 2018 will mark the 15th anniversary of ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership and the ASEAN-China Year of Innovation, which will bring new important opportunities for the ASEAN-China cooperation. She hoped that Guilin could fully harness its special advantages, continue to make the coming Tourism Exhibition a successful event and make new contributions to the further deepening of Guilin-ASEAN and ASEAN-China practical cooperation. ACC would like to actively play its role as a one-stop information and activities centre and serve as a bridge and bond for Guilin and ASEAN countries to expand the cooperation.