On 29 August 2025, H.E. Ambassador Shi Zhongjun, Secretary General of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), during his visit to Malaysia, held exchanges respectively with Ms. Siti Salwahanim Mohd Nazir, Undersecretary of the International Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security of Malaysia, and Ms. Zanariah Zainal Abidin, Director General of the ASEAN-Malaysia National Secretariat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia, in Putrajaya. 

SG Shi thanked Malaysia side, as the ASEAN Chair and Country Coordinator for ASEAN-China relations, for its long-term and strong support for the work of the ACC. He briefed on the main initiatives by the ACC in recent years to promote practical cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between ASEAN and China, particularly its efforts in implementing the consensus of leaders, establishing agricultural cooperation platforms such as the “ASEAN-China Development and Cooperation Conference on Food and Agriculture (ACDCCFA)”, and organizing flagship events like the “ASEAN-China Week (ACW)”. Emphasizing the unique position as an intergovernmental international organization, the ACC will fully serve its bridging role, facilitating connections and resource alignment between ASEAN Member States, including Malaysia, and China. The ACC also stands ready to align with Malaysia’s practical needs to jointly carry out livelihood projects in areas such as agriculture, digital technology, and green development, delivering tangible benefits to the peoples of both sides.

Undersecretary Siti Salwahanim stated that as a major agricultural country, the ACC’s efforts to promote cooperation in agriculture between ASEAN and China are highly relevant to the needs of Malaysia. She appreciated the ACC’s continuous organization of the ACDCCFA, which serves as a platform for regional agricultural collaboration. She looked forward to further strengthening exchanges with the Centre to explore specific cooperation projects in areas such as crop cultivation, water-saving irrigation, and agricultural technical training for mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

Director General Zanariah Zainal Abidin extended appreciation to SG Shi for his visit and reiterated Malaysia’s continued support for the work of the ACC. She was pleased to see the ACC promoting practical cooperation and people-to-people bonds between ASEAN and China through various flagship projects including the ACW, and expressed willingness to maintain communication with the ACC to jointly explore more opportunities for cooperation in the future.