On 9 to 12 October, the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), in collaboration with China Institute of Sport Science (CISS), Shaanxi Provincial Sports Bureau and China Sport Science Society (CSSS), hosted the 2nd China-ASEAN International Conference on Physical Fitness and Health Promotion in Xi’an of Shaanxi Province. Vice Minister Liu Guoyong of General Administration of Sport of China, President Pun Weng Kun of Asian Sport for All Association (ASFAA) and Director Hadi Tjahjono of Education, Culture and Tourism on behalf of Secretary General Shi Zhongjun of the ACC, attended and addressed the Conference. Representative Martin Taylor of World Health Organization (WHO) to China and Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn of ASEAN delivered video speeches.

Under the theme “Deepen Fitness Cooperation to Drive a Healthy Future”, over 500 participants attended the Conference, including sport officials, experts and scholars from the ASEAN Member States (AMS) and China, and representatives from international organizations such as the WHO, the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN Youth Organization.

Director Hadi underlined that sport plays a vital role in people-to-people exchanges and remains one essential component of ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Under the framework of the 2024 ASEAN-China Year of People-to-people Exchanges, the Conference will offer a platform to share information and experience, which will bring into fully play the unique advantages of sports, deepen the pragmatic cooperation between AMS and China in the fields of fitness and health promotion, so as to contribute to the building of ASEAN-China community with a shared future. 

At the Conference, representatives from Brunei, Indonesia, the Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam shared their best practice on both topics of “Exercise for Physical Fitness” and “Active Health and Population Aging”, and explored future cooperation between ASEAN and China in physical fitness and health promotion. A total of 423 conference papers were submitted. The participants also paid field visits to local communities to explore the implementation and effects of the nationwide fitness-for-all program initiated by China.