On 28 March 2018, under the theme of “New Beginning, New Vision, New Opportunities”, the International Symposium on Celebrating the 15th Anniversary of ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership was successfully launched in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Attended the opening ceremony were H.E. Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN, H.E. Mr. Li Bin, Vice-Governor of Guangxi, Mr. Liu Zhengdong, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference of Guangxi and Secretary of the Party Committee of Guangxi University, H.E. Mr. Stanley Loh Ka Leung, Ambassador of Singapore to China, H.E. Mr. Thit Linn Ohn, Ambassador of Myanmar to China, H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), Mr. Yao Wen, Counsellor of Asian Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, representatives from ASEAN Embassies in China and Consulates-General in Nanning, relevant Guangxi government officials, experts from ASEAN and China as well as media representatives, totaling nearly 200 people.

Vice Governor Li Bin delivered remarks at the opening ceremony. He said that as the only Chinese province linking ASEAN by land and sea, Guangxi is the gateway of ASEAN-China cooperation that connects the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and the Silk Road Economic Belt. In recent years, Guangxi has fully harnessed its geographic advantages and formed the “Nanning Channel” of ASEAN-China cooperation. Guangxi comprehensively deepened mutual beneficial cooperation and pushed forward technological and people-to-people exchanges with ASEAN, continuing to make contributions to ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership. Guangxi would like to take the opportunity of the 15th anniversary of ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership and the ASEAN-China Year of Innovation, join hands with all ASEAN countries to build the upgraded version of ASEAN-China EXPO (CAEXPO) and ASEAN-China Business and Investment Summit (CABIS), advance the construction of the Singapore-China Strategic Connectivity Passage, and deepen cooperation on economy, transportation, production capacity, technological innovation and people-to-people exchanges, so as to make new contributions to forging a closer ASEAN-China Community of a Shared Future.

Counsellor Yao Wen said in his remarks that ASEAN-China Cooperation has endured the test of the international vicissitudes and made great strides forward, which becomes the most successful and dynamic cooperation example in the Asia-Pacific region. Both sides have steered the right course and led the new trend of cooperation in East Asia. Both sides have made innovative efforts to contribute new solutions to regional integrity. Both sides have actively forged ahead to make new progress in the practical cooperation. ASEAN is the priority of China’s neighbouring diplomacy and an important cooperation partner in building the Belt and Road. China firmly supports ASEAN community building and ASEAN centrality in East Asia cooperation, and expects ASEAN to play a more important role in the regional and international affairs. Both China and ASEAN should continue to work together and make ASEAN-China cooperation a stable anchor of peace and development, a good example of friendly neighbourliness, a pioneer of practical cooperation and a driving engine for the economic growth.

Ambassador Stanley Loh Ka Leung delivered remarks and said that over the past 5 decades since its establishment, ASEAN has created a conducive environment to the economic development of its member states and worked hard to preserve peace and stability in the region. As the international situation is experiencing profound changes and facing increasing uncertainties, Singapore, as the chair of ASEAN in 2018, came up with “Resilience and Innovation” as the yearly theme of ASEAN. ASEAN must preserve ASEAN unity and centrality in regional affairs, seize the challenging opportunities of the digital revolution and new economy, invest more in the people especially the youth, continue to strengthen its economic and financial resilience as well as innovative abilities, so as to better meet the challenges and achieve greater development. China is one of ASEAN’s most substantive dialogue partners and there’s large potential for both sides to deepen the cooperation. ASEAN countries welcome China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which could be synergized with the Master Plan for ASEAN Connectivity 2025. Year 2018 has been designated as the ASEAN-China Year of Innovation. Both sides could expand cooperation in areas, namely, digital economy, e-commerce and smart cities and actively implement the upgraded ASEAN-China FTA. He hoped both sides could work together to build an even stronger partnership and new golden era of ASEAN-China relations.

Deputy Secretary General Hoang Anh Tuan highlighted in his remarks the significance to hold this symposium on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership. He said that ASEAN-China relations have evolved into a strong, multifaceted and substantive partnership since both sides launched the dialogue process in 1991. ASEAN-China cooperation achieved fruitful results especially since the establishment of strategic partnership in 2003, which have made great contribution to the peace, development and cooperation in the region. He said ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership is anchored on strong and sound trade and economic relations. China is ASEAN’s largest trading partner while ASEAN remains China’s third largest trading partner. Both sides are striving toward the twin goals of two-way trade and investment amounting to USD one trillion and USD 150 billion respectively by 2020. ASEAN and China have been working together to enhance mutual trust and understanding through cooperation in defense, security, and combating non-traditional security threats. ASEAN-China cooperation in youth, culture, media and education is also booming. In 2017, both sides celebrated the ASEAN-China Year of Tourism Cooperation, which greatly enhanced the two-way visits and people-to-people exchanges. Currently both sides are synergizing the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 and the Belt and Road Initiative, which will further improve the infrastructure and connectivity level of this region. He said both sides should take the 15th anniversary of ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership and the ASEAN-China Year of Innovation as an opportunity, to vigorously deepen cooperation in innovation and jointly push forward the strategic partnership to a new height.

H.E. Mr. Suppera Maniam, former ambassador of Malaysia to WTO delivered a keynote speech. He reviewed the path of ASEAN-China economic cooperation over the past 15 years and said that the upgraded version ASEAN-China FTA, joint building of the Belt and Road and the completion of ASEAN economic community building have brought bright prospects to ASEAN-China cooperation. He hoped both sides could seize the new opportunities, fully tap their respective advantages to jointly strengthen cooperation in connectivity, industrial technology, service sector, SME development and human resource, so as to deepen the economic partnership and realize win-win outcomes.

Professor Jiang Ruiping, Vice-President of China Foreign Affairs University, in his keynote speech analyzed the symbol of the new era of ASEAN-China relations. He pointed out that the foundation of the mutually beneficial economic cooperation has been consolidated, political and security cooperation has been deepened, people-to-people exchanges have been enhanced, and cooperation mechanism has been improved. ASEAN and China should grasp the trend of the development of ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership, to set an example of forging ahead a community of shared future for mankind, an experimental model of a new type of international relations, a sample of all-around cooperation relations and a pioneering zone of building the Belt and Road, so as to advance the 3+X cooperation framework. He said ASEAN and China should take the joint building of the Belt and Road as the guidance of ASEAN-China relations in the new era, properly deal with the relations between anti-globalization and new globalization, internal integrity and external hindrance, multi-framework and joint efforts, win-win economic benefits and political mutual trust, ASEAN leading and China guiding, so as to further advance the ASEAN-China relations.