On 12 September 2023, the Joint Executive Board (JEB) of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) held its second working group meeting of 2023 in Beijing. The representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of China and Embassies of the ASEAN Member States (AMS) in China as well as the persons-in-charge of the ACC divisions attended the Meeting, which was moderated by Director Sun Yi of General Affairs and Coordination Division of the ACC, and co-chaired by Minister Counsellor Irwansyah Mukhlis of the Embassy of Indonesia, the rotating ASEAN chair, and Counsellor Xu Jing of Department of Asian Affairs of the MFA of China.

Director Sun Yi thanked the JEB members for their sustained strong support to the ACC. He said that ASEAN and China have continued setting a good model for regional common development and win-win cooperation in 2023. The outcome documents adopted at the just-concluded ASEAN-China Summit will guide the direction for further deepening ASEAN-China cooperation and building an even closer ASEAN-China community with a shared future. Under the strategic guidance of the Joint Council and the Joint Executive Board, the ACC Secretariat will, as always, continue to dedicate itself to reaffirming deep bonds of amity between ASEAN and China, and implementing consensus reached by the leaders on both sides. 

Minister Counsellor Mukhlis underlined that, as the rotating chair of ASEAN, Indonesia would like to witness a resilient ASEAN becoming a barometer for cooperation so as to further contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world. He encouraged the ACC to promote activities related to health architecture, food and energy security, innovative and sustainable financing, as well as free trade in the region, ensuring that Southeast Asia continues to be a region of inclusive, robust and sustainable economic growth.  

Counsellor Xu Jing acknowledged the ACC’s contribution to promoting China-ASEAN relations. She said that China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic cooperation has entered the fast lane and important results have been achieved in the building of a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home. She looked forward to the ACC carrying out more activities in such areas as agriculture, e-commerce and sci-tech innovation, as well as conduct more activities under the theme of ASEAN-China Year of People-to-People Exchanges in 2024. The Chinese government stays committed to rendering support to the ACC’s endeavors. 

The ACC divisions took stock of the progress in work achieved since the last JEB Working Group Meeting in April this year and briefed the Meeting on the plans in the near future. The representatives of JEB members appreciated the ACC’s efforts to bring ideas of cooperation into fruition, particularly the ASEAN-China Week 2023 events, and shared their comments and recommendations on delivering concrete projects to be sponsored by the ACC in the near future. They, as always, all pledged full support to and close collaboration with the ACC Secretariat, in the purpose of further promoting ASEAN-China cooperation and exchanges in a multifaceted and productive manner.