On 4 July 2025, the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), in collaboration with Qingdao Municipal People's Government, co-hosted the 2025 ASEAN-China (Qingdao) Event on Economic and Trade Cooperation and People-to-people Exchanges. Secretary General Shi Zhongjun of the ACC, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Qingdao Municipal Committee and Mayor Ren Gang of Qingdao, and Ambassador Pham Thanh Binh of Vietnam to China attended and addressed the opening ceremony. Over 300 participants, including diplomats of ASEAN Member States (AMS) in China, as well as government officials, think tank experts, and representatives of business associations and enterprises from both ASEAN and China were present at the event.

Secretary General Shi stated that ASEAN and China have enjoyed steadfast, steady and robust cooperation, establishing a model of dynamic and fruitful cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region and the world. Both sides have enjoyed close economic and trade ties and people-to-people exchanges. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area, and it is also the ASEAN-China Year of People-to-people Exchanges. He expressed hope that this Event would seize the opportunity brought up by the complete conclusion of ASEAN-China Free Trade Area Version 3.0 negotiation to build a platform for practical cooperation between AMS and Qingdao in such areas as trade, investment, culture, tourism and education, so as to promote regional prosperity and people-to-people connectivity.

Mayor Ren Gang introduced the city’s ties with AMS and emphasized its goal to explore cooperation in new business models and industries with ASEAN and hold various activities on cultural and people-to-people exchange to make substantial contributions to building the ASEAN-China community with a shared future.

Ambassador Pham Thanh Binh said that Vietnam has attached great importance to the cooperation with China, as the country has long been China's largest trading partner among AMS. Vietnam, as a close partner in industrial collaboration and cultural exchanges with Qingdao, would further broaden communication channels and deepen cooperation. To achieve tangible results, he invited more Chinese entrepreneurs to invest and start business in Vietnam.

At the Event, the senior diplomats from the Embassy of Indonesia in China, the Embassy of Malaysia in China, and the Consulate-General of Thailand in Qingdao, as well as the scholar from the think tank of Chinese Ministry of Commerce delivered keynote speeches, pointing out new opportunities for industrial cooperation and sharing views on the latest development trends of ASEAN-China relations.

During the promotion session, the economic and commercial diplomats from the Embassies of Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Vietnam in China presented the trade and investment policies and business environments of their countries respectively and exchanged information with other business representatives. The officials and business representatives from Qingdao also introduced the policies and strategies carried out to promote their connections with AMS.

The Event launched major collaborative actions including the Action Plan on ASEAN-China (Qingdao) People-to-people Exchanges and Industrial Cooperation, the Exhibition on the Achievements of Industrial Cooperation and the ASEAN Marine Culture and Tourism Market. Secretary General Shi and the AMS delegation also visited the Conson aquaculture vessel, which employs the leading-edge technology for aquaculture, to gain deeper understanding of Qingdao’s potential and competencies in marine economy. 

Besides, on the afternoon of 3 July, Secretary General Shi led the ASEAN delegation to hold a meeting with Deputy Secretary Zhang Hui of the CPC Qingdao Municipal Committee. The two sides exchanged views on Qingdao's geographical and industrial advantages for promoting cooperation with ASEAN and advancing economic and development goals across many sectors, especially marine economy, modern agriculture, and commerce.