On 25 October 2020, the launching ceremony of China-ASEAN Research Centre for Cultural Communication was held in Foreign Studies College of Hunan Normal University. Mr. Chen Dehai, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), Ms. Chen Shi, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of China International Press Group (CIPG) and President of China Report Press, and Mr. Jiang Hongxin, Secretary of CPC Committee of Hunan Normal University, attended and addressed the event. The ceremony gathered over 50 guests from China and abroad, among them were Mr. Dino R. Kusnadi, DCM and Minister of the Indonesian Embassy in China, Mr. Boun Inthabandith, Consul General of Lao PDR in Changsha, Ms. Ang Lay Ling, DCM of the Bruneian Embassy in China, Ms. Razida Hanim Binti Abdul Razak, Trade Commissioner of the Malaysian Embassy in China, Mr. Tran Thanh Hai, Counsellor of the Viet Nam Embassy in China, officials from AMS diplomatic missions in China and AMS media representatives, together with Mr. Wang Kemin, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of People’s Congress of Hunan Province and Mr. Qing Lixin, Deputy Director General of the Publicity Department of Hunan CPC Committee and Head of Information Office of Hunan Province.

Secretary Jiang Hongxin said in his welcome speech that universities are important carriers of international cultural communication. By jointly establishing the China-ASEAN Research Centre for Cultural Communication with China Report Press, Hunan Normal University aims to make full use of both sides’ advantages in publicity, intelligence and talent, promote ASEAN-China cooperation in areas such as cultural communication research, talent cultivation and international communication, and engage actively in BRI international cooperation and the Belt and Joint development plan of Hunan Province.

Deputy Editor-in-Chief Chen Shi pointed out that with the deepening of China-ASEAN relations and the booming of the two sides’ cooperation in cultural communication, China-ASEAN Research Centre for Cultural Communication will play an important role in facilitating China-ASEAN cultural exchanges. She expressed hope that the Centre will enhance policy and application research, intensify talent training, provide suggestions and recommendations for building a discourse system for China-ASEAN strategic partnership, and become an internationally-acknowledged research platform for cultural communication.

Secretary-General Chen Dehai said that in recent years, ASEAN and China have seen vibrant growth in people-to-people and cultural exchanges, as new mechanisms and platforms continue to spring up, and the scale of people-to-people exchanges continues to expand. The inauguration of China-ASEAN Research Centre for Cultural Communication is part of Hunan’s efforts to increase people-to-people ties and to deepen mutual understanding and friendship between ASEAN and China. The Centre will further advance cooperation between universities from Hunan and ASEAN countries, and contribute to ASEAN-China people-to-people exchanges.