On 4 July 2024, Secretary General Shi Zhongjun of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) hosted the visiting Secretary-General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn of ASEAN and his delegation at the ACC.  

Shi Zhongjun warmly welcomed Dr. Kao to the ACC again and expressed appreciation to the ASEAN Secretariat for its sustained and strong support. Shi stressed that the ACC, as the only inter-governmental organization co-established by ASEAN Member States (AMS) and China, stays committed to its bridging role in advancing practical cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between ASEAN and China. With the full implementation of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and the progressing negotiation on the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) Version 3.0, ASEAN and China shall capitalize on the fruitful achievements and enormous opportunities to generate fresh momentum in economic cooperation and trade between both sides. Under the framework of the ASEAN-China Year of People-to-people Exchanges in 2024, both sides should work closely to promote amity and enhance understanding among the peoples on both sides. The ACC stands ready to support and participate in ASEAN activities and mechanism meetings in a more vigorous manner, keep exploring new areas of practical cooperation, raise the public awareness of ASEAN in China, so as to better serve the development of ASEAN-China comprehensive strategic partnership.

Kao Kim Hourn commended the ACC for its remarkable contribution to the advancement of ASEAN-China relations since its establishment in 2011. He stressed that China always stays as a top priority for ASEAN in terms of expanding its external relations. Thanks to the concerted efforts of both sides, ASEAN-China cooperation has registered gratifying outcome, with China being ASEAN’s largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years and the Belt and Road cooperation between ASEAN and China bearing rich fruits. Looking ahead, the completion of ASEAN Community Vision 2025 next year will usher in a new era both for the building of ASEAN Community and the growth of ASEAN-China relations. ASEAN will further align the Master Plan for ASEAN Connectivity and China’s Belt and Road Initiative, strengthen sub-regional mechanisms such as Lancang-Mekong Cooperation and BIMP-EAGA, and open up new domains for cooperation in emerging industries. The ASEAN-China Week (ACW) 2023 sponsored by the ACC turned out to be a great success and ASEAN Secretariat looks forward to another productive ACW event in the upcoming August. Kao reiterated the full support from himself and the Secretariat to the ACC in its future endeavors, in the purpose of securing a sound and steady development of ASEAN-China comprehensive strategic partnership.