By ASEAN-China Centre （ACC）

?

ACC Secretary-General Attended Asian Regional Cooperation Organization Roundtable

By ASEAN-China Centre （ACC）

O n 25 March 2016， the Asian R e g i o n a l C o o p e r a t i o n Organization Roundtable was held in Boao International Conference Centre，during the Boao Forum for Asia （BFA）Annual Conference 2016. The meeting was moderated by Mr. Su Ge， President of China Institute of International Studies. H. E. Mr. Liu Zhenmin， Vice Foreign Minister of China， attended the meeting and delivered a keynote speech. H. E. Mme. Yang Xiuping，Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre （ACC）， together with Mr. Masataka Fujita， Secretary-General of ASEAN-Japan Centre， Mr. Kim Yong-Sun， Secretary-General of ASEAN-Korea Centre， Mr. Yang Houlan， Secretary-General of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat， Mr. Rashid Alimov， Secretary-General of Shanghai Cooperation Organization， Mr. Gong Jianwei， Executive Director of the Secretariat of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia， Mr. Bundit Limschoon， Secretary-General of Asia Cooperation Dialogue provisional Secretariat， Mr. Arjun Bahadur Thapa， Secretary-General of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation， and Mr. Zhang Yan， Executive Director of Asia-Europe Foundation， attended the meeting as speakers.

Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin remarked that Asian Regional cooperation now enjoys a strong momentum， and is blossoming into a comprehensive architecture that covers all sub-regions and consists of mutually complementary frameworks. This has become a hallmark achievement of Asia. The ASEAN community set up at the end of last year is a milestone in regional integration. East Asian cooperation has evolved into a multitier and all-dimensional framework with ASEAN at the centre， 10＋1 cooperation as the basis， ASEAN plus three cooperation as the main channel， China-Japan-ROK cooperation as a major component and East Asia Summit as an important platform. Deepening and expanding cooperation under these cooperation frameworks has provided a strong impetus for regional integration and the rise of Asia. Cooperation in Asia has deep roots in history， and reflects the trend of the times and the needs of the region. Asian regional cooperation has come this far for it builds on the trend of the region and the world，serves the common interests of regional countries， based on a unique and effective Asian approach， and embodies the principle of openness and inclusiveness. We should further consolidate the foundation，give priority to development， improve institutional building and maintain our Asian features， to push Asian regional cooperation to new areas and higher levels.

Secretary-General Yang made a brief introduction on ACC's work. She said as the only inter-governmental organization which was co-founded by the Governments of ASEAN Member States and China，ACC had been dedicated to implementing the consensus reached by the leaders of ASEAN and China， and promoting the functional cooperation in the areas of trade，investment， education， culture and tourism. Up to now， ACC has accomplished more than 90 approved cooperation projects，organized or participated in more than 400 activities.This year marks the 25th anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations and the ASEAN-China Year of Educational Exchange. It was also the fi rst year after the establishment of ASEAN Community and the launch year of China's 13th Five-Year Plan period. ACC would take this opportunity to embark on more innovative and pioneering efforts， deepen ASEAN-China functional cooperation and strive for the prosperity of this region.

Heads of Asian regional cooperation organizations introduced their organizations respectively and shared experience in cooperation. They remarked that today's Asia is a rising region in the global geopolitical landscape， and is also leading world economic growth. Enhancing the coordination， promoting development through cooperation and building up a community of shared destiny have become the common goals of all Asian countries. Asia's development creates opportunities for Asian regional cooperation organizations， while the common difficulties that Asian countries are facing pose challenges to the organizations as well. The organizations should give full play to their advantages， build up platform for communication and cooperation， enhance political mutual trust， promote economic integration， and make joint efforts to cope with regional and international issues. At the same time， the organizations should strengthen their interaction and cooperation，and make an innovative effort to achieve the goal of sustainable peace， stability and prosperity of this region.