On 3 December 2017, H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) attended the Forum on ASEAN-China Film Exchanges and Cooperation held in Kuala Lumpur and delivered remarks.

Secretary-General Yang Xiuping commended that the positive progress of ASEAN-China relations. She stated 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, all of which effectively improve the common well-being of over 2 billion people of ASEAN and China.People-to-people exchanges have played an important role in increasing public support for ASEAN-China relations. ASEAN is working to build people-centered community. The Belt and Road Initiative regards people-to-people connectivity as an important part. The two sides are actively synergizing each other on their development plans and elevating ASEAN-China strategic partnership to a higher level. All of these will create new and broader space for people-to-people exchanges between both sides.

Secretary-General Yang mentioned that film is loved by people and has strong influence in exchanging thoughts and spreading cultures. Film is also a sunrise industry with great impacts in promoting socio-economic development. ASEAN and China are strengthening exchanges and cooperation in the film industry, which have achieved positive outcomes. According to the Plan of Action to Implement the Joint Declaration on ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity (2016-2020), ASEAN and China will step up cooperation in producing films, support co-production of films and TV programmes, encourage more films and TV festivals and exhibitions, and promote exchanges between film makers. At the 20th ASEAN-China Summit, leaders of both sides stressed the importance to further enhance all-around cooperation under the three pillars including the socio-cultural dimension.

Secretary-General Yang briefed on ACC’s efforts and achievements in promoting ASEAN-China cultural industrial cooperation. She stated that ACC has explored new ways to promote cultural industry cooperation between ASEAN and China. For instance, ACC successfully held the first ASEAN Film Week and ASEAN-China Workshop on Cooperation for Cultural Production Capacity, which have provided useful platforms for the two sides to demonstrate film arts and diverse cultures, and promote mutual learning in film industry. This Forum is an important part of the ASEAN-China Film Festival. She hoped that film makers of ASEAN and China will make full use of this platform to exchange ideas and contribute wisdom, share wonderful stories on and behind the screen and good practices in developing film industry and explore effective approaches and measures for tapping film cooperation potentials. ACC stands ready to join hands with various parties and build the festival into a long-term film exchange and cooperation mechanism, so as to raise cultural industrial cooperation of both sides to a new level.