On 12 April 2018, the launching ceremony of the China-ASEAN Innovation Year and China-ASEAN Innovation Forum were held in Beijing. The event was co-hosted by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore. Mr. Guo Chuanwei, Director of Trade and Investment Division of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), attended the event.

At the launching ceremony, Mr. Wang Zhigang, Minister of Science and Technology of China, and Mr. Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and National Development of Singapore, respectively read the congratulatory letter from Premier Li Keqiang and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to the “China-ASEAN Innovation Year”. The leadership of China and Singapore highly appreciated the cooperation and exchanges between China and ASEAN in the fields of scientific and technological innovation and expressed deep appreciation and full confidence for future cooperation.

At the following forum, representatives from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, the Ministry of Education of Myanmar, the Ministry of Science and Technology of Thailand, the Ministry of Science and Technology of Lao PDR, and the innovation and research institutions of China and ASEAN countries had discussions on such topics as the government role in building innovative cooperation platforms, technology culture, innovation supporting policies, and innovative cooperation among industries, universities and research institutes.