According to Memorandum of Understanding on Establishing the ASEAN-China Centre between the Governments of the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Government of the People’s Republic of China, the Governments of ASEAN Member States and China agreed as follows: 

 

Establishment and Location

1. The Contracting Parties shall hereby establish a one-stop information and activities centre known as the ASEAN-China Centre (hereinafter referred to as “the Centre”) to promote ASEAN-China cooperation in trade, investment, tourism, education and culture, with active involvement of the private sector. The Centre shall gradually expand to include a more comprehensive array of activities and participants.

2. The Centre shall be a non-profit organisation but be able to raise funds necessary for its operation.

3. The Headquarters of the Centre shall be located in Beijing. Its affiliated centres may be established in ASEAN Member States as well as other parts of China in the future.

Objectives

The objectives of the Centre are:

a) to support the implementation of the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation between ASEAN and the People’s Republic of China; and various agreements on trade in goods, services, dispute settlement, investment and other agreements relating to economic cooperation signed under the umbrella of the Framework Agreement;

 

b) to enhance two-way trade between ASEAN and China and further cultivate trade partnership in order to jointly promote exports to outside markets and achieve market expansion;

 

c) to promote two-way flows of investment between ASEAN and China;

 

d) to undertake activities to help investors and businessmen from less developed ASEAN Member States, especially Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, in exploring trade and investment opportunities in China;

 

e) to promote flows of tourists between ASEAN and China;

 

f) to enhance interaction among the business communities of ASEAN and China;

 

g) to increase people-to-people contacts, public awareness, mutual understanding, as well as active participation among the ASEAN and Chinese peoples through cultural and educational exchanges; and

 

h) to synergise the potentials of ASEAN and China in order to enhance the region’s appeal to external partners and facilitate access to ASEAN and Chinese ventures.

 

Roles and Activities

 

1. To achieve its objectives, the Centre shall work closely with the trade, investment, tourism, education and cultural promotion offices/representatives of ASEAN Member States, particularly those based in China, on undertaking activities that contribute to further enhancing trade, investment, tourism, education and cultural promotion between ASEAN and China.

 

2. The Centre shall have dual roles, acting as an information centre and an activities centre.

 

a) The Centre shall undertake the following activities:

 

b) to serve as a central coordinator of information, advice and activities to provide a comprehensive information bank on trade, investment, tourism, culture and education to businesses and peoples of ASEAN and China;

 

c) to serve as a channel for the meaningful exchange of information relevant to the enhancement of trade, investment, tourism and education of the ASEAN Member States and China, including rules and regulations concerning market access, particularly in supporting the development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs);

 

d) to undertake studies in the areas of trade and investment that highlights the benefits of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area, through comprehensive data and information gathering, analysis, and trends on markets;

 

e) to promote cultures and education by disseminating information on traditional arts, handicrafts, music, dance, drama, movies and languages of ASEAN and China and educational opportunities in ASEAN and China;

 

f) to introduce and publicise products, industries and investment opportunities, tourism resources, culture and education of ASEAN and China to their companies, investors, and peoples by providing consultations, educational advisory services, as well as organising trade and investment exhibitions, tourism fairs, food festivals, art exhibitions and educational exhibition fairs;

 

g) to undertake market survey activities to identify potential markets and areas of cooperation;

 

h) to manage the permanent ASEAN Trade, Investment and Tourism Exhibition Hall within the framework of the Centre;

 

i) to serve as a central investment promotion unit creating sectoral linkages and facilitating business opportunities between ASEAN and Chinese ventures, especially assisting investors and companies seeking local business partners;

 

j) to maintain close cooperation in the fields of trade, investment and tourism with the Governments of ASEAN Member States and China and relevant regional and international organisations;

 

k) to facilitate trade and investment missions between ASEAN and China;

 

l) to provide a list of related agencies and Government Officials related to the fields of trade, investment and tourism of both ASEAN and China;

 

m) to undertake capacity building initiatives to support the promotion of trade, investment and tourism between ASEAN and China;

 

n) to support the development of small- and medium-sized cultural enterprises (SMCE) in order to promote cultural tourism;

 

o) to undertake seminars or workshops on topics related to the facilitation of trade, investments and tourism between China and ASEAN Member States;

 

p) to establish a learning centre on arts, culture and language so as to enhance people-to-people contacts and to improve mutual understanding between the peoples and societies of ASEAN and China;

 

q) to look into the possibilities of undertaking people-to-people exchange programs related to the fields of trade, investment and tourism;

 

r) support programmes that are related to narrowing the development gap in ASEAN Countries; and

 

s) to undertake such other activities as may be deemed necessary to achieve the purpose of the Centre.