On 11 May 2016, H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), met in Kuching with Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh, Minister of Finance (Ⅱ) and Minister of Local Government and Community Development of Sarawak State, Malaysia. Mr. Fu Jijun, Consul-General of China in Kuching attended the meeting.
Secretary-General Yang highly appreciated the support given by Sarawak State to ACC in holding the ASEAN-China Entrepreneurs’ Conference (ACE) in Kuching and spoke highly of the social-economic development of Sarawak State. With a brief introduction of the mandate and work of ACC, Secretary-General Yang said in 2016 ACC would implement 19 flagship projects in various fields and conduct a series of rich and varied activities to commemorate the 25th anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations and the ASEAN-China Year of Educational Exchange in order to further promote ASEAN-China and Malaysia-China relations.
Secretary-General Yang noted that ACC attached great importance to local exchange and cooperation and would like to facilitate contacts between Sarawak State and relevant provinces and cities of China to explore new areas of cooperation. The forthcoming ACE in Kuching would be the biggest trade promotional event organized by ACC, with around 50 Chinese entrepreneurs attending. ACC hoped that entrepreneurs from ASEAN and China could strengthen face-to-face communication during the conference to build links and deepen business matching for win-win cooperation.
Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh expressed a warm welcome to Secretary-General Yang and highly praised the work done by ACC. He appreciated the important role played by ACC in promoting friendly exchange and cooperation among ASEAN countries and China. He noted by establishing friendly province/state relations with Yunnan and Fujian Province of China, Sarawak State had developed even closer links with China and opened broader prospects for future cooperation. ACC was expected to organize more activities to expand investment of Chinese enterprises in Sarawak State. Sarawak State welcomed more Chinese students with a view to strengthening people-to-people exchange especially among the young students, and laying an even stronger foundation for the friendship between peoples.
After the meeting, Secretary-General Yang was interviewed by local media and answered questions regarding Malaysia-China relations, ASEAN-China practical cooperation and local exchange and cooperation.
