On 24 April, the 2025 Shandong High-Quality Cultural and Tourism Industry Development Conference successfully held in Dezhou, Shandong Province. The event was hosted by Shandong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and the People’s Government of Shandong Province, themed on “Hospitable Shandong’s Virtue Inspiring the World”. It brought together around 500 representatives from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, embassies and consulates in China of Shandong’s major original countries of inbound tourists, international organizations, tourism enterprises, academia and the media. Secretary General Shi Zhongjun of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), LinWu, Secretary of CPC Shandong Provincial Committee, Zhou Naixiang, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Shandong Provincial Party Committee and Governor of Shandong Province and Liu Shijun, Executive Director of UN Tourism addressed its Opening Ceremony.

SG Shi emphasized that the ACC had been serving as an important cooperation mechanism between China and ASEAN Member States (AMS) and would continue to promote comprehensive exchanges in the fields of culture and tourism between China and ASEAN countries. He noted that the ACC acts as a long-term platform for regional people-to-people exchange and trade cooperation. He highly praised Shandong’s rich cultural heritage and its growing international influence as a major tourism destination in China. SG Shi called for deeper collaboration through joint tourism promotion, personnel training and digital empowerment of cultural tourism, aiming to contribute positively to the high-quality development of regional tourism and enhancing mutual understanding among people from China and ASEAN countries.

During the Opening Ceremony, SG Shi, on behalf of the ACC, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Strategic Cooperation with the Department of Culture and Tourism of Shandong Province. The MOU aims to formalize the partnership and outline specific areas of collaboration, including cultural exchange, tourism promotion, and capacity building. This formal agreement will solidify the ACC’s role in fostering ongoing collaboration between ASEAN and Shandong, creating a framework for future projects and initiatives that support the cultural and tourism sectors.

Before the Opening Ceremony, SG Shi met with Zhou Naixiang, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Shandong Provincial Party Committee and Governor of Shandong Province. They exchanged views on enhancing cultural and tourism cooperation between Shandong and AMS. SG Shi noted that as ASEAN-China relations continue to deepen, cooperation in culture and tourism has become an increasingly vital pillar of mutual benefit. He expressed the ACC’s readiness to leverage its platform to support Shandong in expanding and elevating its engagement with AMS. Zhou Naixiang emphasized that ASEAN is a key partner in Shandong’s external cooperation, and expressed the province’s willingness to work closely with the ACC to deepen practical cooperation with AMS in cultural and tourism industries, sub-national exchanges, and people-to-people connectivity. He affirmed Shandong’s full support for implementing relevant cooperation projects and further expanding mutually beneficial ties with ASEAN countries.

The Shandong High-quality Cultural and Tourism Industry Conference has been successfully held annually since 2020, reflecting Shandong's commitment to enhancing its cultural and tourism sectors. The event aims to leverage Shandong's rich cultural heritage and diverse tourism offerings to create a sustainable and vibrant ecosystem that benefits various stakeholders, including government entities, tourism operators, cultural organizations, and local communities.