On 27 February 2023, H.E. Secretary-General Shi Zhongjun of the ASEAN-China Centre met with H.E. Secretary-General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn of ASEAN in Jakarta.

Secretary-General Shi extended appreciation to the ASEAN Secretariat for its long-standing strong support and said that the year 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of China's accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia and the ASEAN-China Year of Agricultural Development and Food Security Cooperation. The two sides should step up efforts in terms of building upon the good foundation of cooperation and striving towards breakthroughs and fresh achievements, adding strength to the growth of ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. As the only intergovernmental organization to promote international cooperation between ASEAN and China, the ACC stands ready to further strengthen all-round communication with the ASEAN Secretariat, jointly implement important consensus between the Chinese and ASEAN leaders, enhance ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, so as to bring forth more cooperation dividends and greater benefits to the peoples of our region.

Dr. Kao Kim Hourn welcomed Secretary-General Shi’s first visit to the ASEAN Secretariat and spoke highly of the special and important contribution by the ACC to the development of ASEAN-China relations since its establishment. Dr. Kao said that ASEAN and China have always been good neighbors linked by mountains, rivers and seas, good friends helping each other and good partners sharing weal and woe. Both sides have already become each other’s largest trading partner for many years, and China is also an important source of investment to ASEAN. The ASEAN Secretariat stands ready to continue working with the ACC in promoting quality cooperation in key areas in the the post-pandemic era, fully tapping the potential of cooperation in such areas as trade, investment, tourism, people-to-people exchanges, media and youth, so as to help achieve sustained progress of the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.