On 19 July 2016, ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) Secretary-General H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping met with a production team of the Business Channel of China Central Television (CCTV-2).
Secretary-General Yang first outlined the history of ASEAN, saying that ASEAN, since its founding in 1967, had made significant contributions to the peace, stability and prosperity of the region and exercised a growing influence in regional and international affairs. The formal establishment of the ASEAN Community at the end of 2015 was destined to exert a profound impact on the regional development. Mme. Yang said that ASEAN and China, close in geography and intimate in culture, were natural partners. 2016 marked the 25th anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations and the Year of ASEAN–China Educational Exchange. It was also the first year of the establishment of ASEAN Community and China’s 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20). The efforts over past 25 years had achieved splendid results in ASEAN-China relations and had forged the ASEAN-China relations into a most fruitful and most closely-associated one among the relations between ASEAN and its dialogue partners. Looking ahead, ASEAN-China relations was even blessed with a vaster range of prospects. Both sides were recommended to strengthen the docking and identify more mutual demands and convergences so as to expand functional cooperation for the mutual benefits of the people of both sides.
Secretary-General Yang then briefed on the mandates and work of ACC, saying that it had always active in implementing the consensus of the leaders to promote cooperation in trade, investment, education, culture, tourism and information. In 2016, ACC would carry out 19 flagship projects to boost functional cooperation and cement the connectivity among the people. It had presented varied and colourful activities including the ASEAN-China Week and the Gala to commemorate the 25th anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations.
Mme. Yang commended CCTV on its constant efforts to raise the profile of ASEAN-China friendship and expected it to take the opportunity of the 25th anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations to give deeper and more comprehensive coverage to ASEAN-China relations, to find new shining spots of ASEAN-China cooperation with a view to more contributions to enhancing ASEAN-China relations. Mme. Yang also discussed with the TV crew on trade, investment, tourism, exchange of students and mechanism of cooperation between ASEAN and China and the natural conditions and social customs of ASEAN. The TV crew spoke positively of ACC’s achievements in promoting functional ASEAN-China cooperation and expressed their readiness to strengthen communication and collaboration with ACC.
