Cultural activities mark Asean – China cooperation
Cultural activities mark Asean – China cooperation
Fangchenggang city, Guangxi, China: Asean and China hope to further boost bilateral cooperation in the years ahead, forecasting that Asean-China trade shou ld reach US$1 trillion by 2020.
The figure was quoted by a senior official from the Asean Secretariat on Wednesday at an official opening ceremony for China-Asean cultural exchange activities in Fangchenggang city, Guangxi province of China.
This event attracted more than 200 invited guests from Asean countries and China, including senior government officials, invited guests and media representativ es from Asean member states and the host nation China.
The strategic plan for trade promotion was outlined at the official opening ceremony by the Vice Secretary General of the Asean Secretariat, Mr Akp Mochtan.
Addressing the gathered participants, Mr Mochtan said he believed that the cultural exchange programme will play an important role in promoting a vibrant cultural understanding among the Asean nations and China.
“We [Asean nations] are now looking to expand our total trade with China to US$1 trillion in 2020, which is less than seven years from now. With this new target, we can expect our trade, commerce, and investment to move up substantially.”
He also noted that both Asean and China are committed to improving the livelihoods of their people and also creating more opportunities for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to connect with each other.
“I'm delighted to see our friendship associations taking the initiative to cement our friendship with the “Charming Asean, Approaching China” cultural tour,” Mr Mochtan said.
“I urge all of you to continue to nurture the friendship and cooperation and hence your contribution to deepening Asean-China ties. The 21st Century has been described as the Asian century; let's make that a reality.”
The cultural exchange activities endeavour to bring the people of Asean and China closer together and thereby work to further ties in tourism, trade and investment.
Am ong the highlights was a photo e xhibition featuring bilateral cooperation between Asean and China, allowing visitors to view the past achievements of the two sides.
The activity was jointly hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and the friendly organisations of ten Asean nations to China.
It comes in conjunction with Chinese President Xi Jinping' proposal of setting 2014 as the year of China-Asean cultural exchan ges.
Vice Chairman of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Mr Zhang Xiaogin, President of the China-Asean Association, Mrs Gu Xiulia n, Asean diplomats and other senior officials from both sides were in attendance.
The cultural tour is scheduled to be held in Fangchenggang city of Guangxi province before moving to Beijing and Chengdu city in late September.
vientiane times
