SG Shi Invited to Meeting Between Wang Yi and ACB

On 16 January 2025, H.E. Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, met with the ASEAN Committee in Beijing and Ambassador of Timor-Leste to China. Secretary General Shi Zhongjun of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) was invited to attend.

Wang Yi underlined that, China and ASEAN are good neighbors, good friends and good partners. The world is now entering into a new period of turbulence, transformation and profound changes unseen in a century. Against this backdrop, it is indeed significant that our region still maintains a momentum of peace and development. China-ASEAN relationship has provided valuable stability for the region and the world at large. China will continue to firmly support ASEAN centrality and stay committed to working with ASEAN on maintaining the sound and sustainable growth of ASEAN-China relations, so as to make continued contributions to regional peace and development.

Diplomatic envoys hailed the robust and thriving ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and the deepening ASEAN-China cooperation across various field. The successful conclusion of substantive negotiations for the upgrade of ASEAN-China Free Trade Area to its 3.0 version has provided a powerful boost to the development on both sides. People-to-people exchanges have yielded fruitful outcomes, fostering enhanced mutual understanding and friendship among the peoples. The year 2025 marks a key milestone of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and quite a few ASEAN Member States (AMS), as well as the 70th anniversary of the historic Bandung Conference. All parties shall seize the opportunity to unlock the full potential of cooperation between ASEAN and China, continue to carry out the activities under the framework of ASEAN-China Year of People-to-people Exchanges, in the purpose of elevating both ASEAN-China relations and bilateral ties between China and AMS to greater heights.

Shi Zhongjun stressed that the ACC has been consistently making efforts in implementing the significant consensus among the leaders of China and AMS, and striving to build platforms for deepening practical cooperation and enhancing people-to-people exchanges between both sides. Looking ahead into 2025, the ACC stands ready to work, under the framework of ASEAN-China Year of People-to-people Exchanges, to align activities and programs with significant occasions in the relations between China and ASEAN as well as between China and AMS, so as to better serve building an even closer ASEAN-China Community with a shared future.

Wang Yi and the diplomatic envoys from Southeast Asia all commended and appreciated the active and sustained efforts made by the ACC in bolstering strategic mutual trust, advancing practical cooperation and deepening people-to-people connectivity between China and ASEAN. They all looked forward to the ACC better fulfilling its role as an information and activity hub, and injecting fresh impetus into the growth of an enduring and stable ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.