On 14 December 2021, the 11th Joint Council Meeting of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) was held online. The meeting was co-chaired by Dr. May Faezah Ariffin, Permanent Secretary (Economy), Ministry of Finance and Economy of Brunei Darussalam, the rotating chair of ASEAN, and Ms. Jiang Qin, Chargé d’Affaires ad Interim of the Chinese Mission to ASEAN. Mr. Chen Dehai, Secretary-General of ACC, officers of ACC divisions, Ms. Dong Shuhui, representative of co-chairs of the Joint Executive Board (JEB) of ACC and Counselor of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, members of the Joint Council (JC), members of JEB and representatives of the ASEAN Secretariat attended the meeting.
Dr. May noted that 2021 marks the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations and the 10th anniversary of ACC. In recent years, ASEAN-China trade and economic cooperation has developed vigorously, and ASEAN has become China’s largest trading partner. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement will enter into force on 1 January 2022. It is hoped that ACC will seize the opportunities brought by the accelerated digital transformation and play an active role in RCEP’s entry into force as well as implementation. ASEAN-China cooperation in such areas as people-to-people exchanges, media and information has also been fruitful. It is hoped that ACC will fully harness its role as an information and activities centre and push ASEAN-China cooperation to a new height.
Ms. Jiang Qin stated that since the beginning of this year, China and ASEAN have carried out close cooperation on post-COVID-19 recovery. The two sides issued a joint statement on cooperation in support of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF), worked together for RCEP’s entry-into-force as scheduled, and made positive progress in practical cooperation across the board. The ASEAN-China Special Summit to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations held in November officially announced the establishment of ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, injecting new impetus into the building of a closer ASEAN-China community with a shared future. It is hoped that ACC will continue to play an active role and make new and greater contribution to the development of ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
JC members congratulated ACC on its 10th anniversary, and spoke highly of ACC’s efforts to overcome the impact of the pandemic over the past year and the colorful activities it has organised, which have strongly promoted ASEAN-China exchanges and cooperation in various fields. They expressed the hope that ACC will continue to play its role as a one-stop activities and information centre in 2022 and earnestly implement the outcomes of the ASEAN-China Summit in October and the Special Summit in November. ACC should focus on the annual theme of sustainable development cooperation and priority cooperation areas, promote synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025 and strengthen exchanges and cooperation in post-COVID-19 recovery, digital economy, green economy, blue economy, public health, poverty alleviation and reduction, in an effort to further promote the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Mr. Chen Dehai thanked the JC members for their strong support to ACC and to his own work. He stated that the year 2022 marks the first year after the establishment of the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. ACC will implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two sides and the outcomes at the Special Summit and the ASEAN-China Summit, and earnestly put into operation the decisions of the JC. ACC will work with partners to make solid progress in carrying out activities in all areas, improve the level of information service, further deepen practical cooperation, consolidate the foundation for socio-cultural exchanges, and make unremitting efforts to promote the development of ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The meeting heard the report of the 2021 Joint Executive Board of ACC, deliberated on and adopted the Summary Record of the 10th Joint Council Meeting, the Annual Report of 2021, and the Work Programme and Budget of Operational Expenditure of 2022, and discussed arrangements for the 12th JC meeting.
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