ACC Held Reception Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Its Establishment

On 21 December 2021, the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) held in Beijing a reception to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its establishment. Nearly 100 people attended the event, including Mr. Liu Jinsong, Director-General of the Asian Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Mr. Pehin Dato Rahmani, Ambassador of the rotating ASEAN chair Brunei to China, Ambassadors of Cambodia, the Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand to China, diplomatic envoys and representatives from embassies of Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, Viet Nam and Japan in China, Chinese government officials, former Chinese diplomatic envoys to ASEAN Member States (AMS), and representatives from business, culture, education, tourism and media communities.    

Director-General Liu Jinsong congratulated in his speech on the 10th anniversary of ACC. He said the past decade has witnessed the growth of ACC together with the burgeoning development of China-ASEAN relations, with elevated political relations, closer economic cooperation and intensified people-to-people exchanges between the two sides. President Xi Jinping and AMS leaders jointly announced the establishment of a China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, marking a new milestone in the history of China-ASEAN relations. China is ready to work together with AMS to tackle the common challenges, implement the important consensus reached by leaders of the two sides, and achieve common development, common prosperity and common wealth for all the 11 countries. Over the past decade, ACC has become a one-stop information and activities centre for China-ASEAN cooperation, developing a number of influential signature projects in the fields of trade, investment, education, culture, tourism, information and media. He expressed hope that ACC would continue to give full play to its unique advantages, pave the path for mutually beneficial cooperation and friendly exchanges between the two sides, and act as a “booster” and “incubator” for China-ASEAN relations. He said China, as the host country, would as always care about ACC’s development and actively provide support.

Ambassador Rahmani delivered remarks on behalf of the ASEAN side. He said this year marks the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-China relations. As the rotating ASEAN chair, Brunei has worked closely with China in hosting a series of commemorative activities as well as meetings and discussions across all levels to chart the future directions of this meaningful relationship. Since its establishment, ACC has focused on the annual themes of cooperation set forth by leaders of ASEAN and China and acted as a bridge in promoting mutually beneficial cooperation in related fields between the two sides, giving strong boosts to ASEAN-China relations. Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, ACC still managed to exercise innovation through taking advantage of technology and digitalization in carrying out its mandate. He said all Joint Executive Board (JEB) members in Beijing, Brunei included, would continue to extend their full support to the work of ACC towards an enhanced ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for peace, security, prosperity and sustainable development.

ACC Secretary-General Chen Dehai reviewed in his address ACC’s achievements in six major areas and in the joint efforts to respond to COVID-19. He thanked the Chinese and AMS governments and all social sectors for their strong support to ACC over the decade. He noted that ASEAN-China relations are standing at a new starting point, with the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement taking effect in 2022. The Joint Statement issued at the Special Summit to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations fully recognizes the positive role played by ACC over the past 10 years, providing strong driving force for ACC’s future work. He said ACC would keep up the momentum, continue to play its part as a one-stop information and activities centre, and remain committed to implementing the important consensus reached by leaders of the two sides and the building of a solid foundation for the development of ASEAN-China relations.

Director-General Liu Jinsong, Ambassador Pehin Dato Rahmani and Secretary-General Chen Dehai, along with guests including diplomatic envoys and representatives from the other AMS embassies, cut together ACC’s anniversary cake. The guests visited a photo exhibition on ASEAN-China agricultural cooperation co-hosted by ACC and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, watched a video commemorating the 10th anniversary of ACC, and witnessed the official release of two research reports, namely Overview of ASEAN-China Trade and 2021 ASEAN-China Media Cooperation Report, jointly conducted by ACC and its partners including China International Communication Group (CICG). 

The attendees also admired a music ensemble “We Are Happy Family” consisting of classical music of the 10 AMS and China. The guests exchanged views on friendship and cooperation, enjoying a warm and pleasant atmosphere.