In order to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-China strategic partnership, the 2nd ASEAN-China People-to-People Friendship Organizations Leader’s Meeting (hereinafter referred to as: Meeting), and the 6th ASEAN- China Youth Cultural Exchange Festival (hereinafter referred to as: Exchange Festival) co-sponsored by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and the People’s Government of Sichuan Province and organized by Sichuan People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (SPAFFC), were held in Chengdu on the evening of August 6. Mme. Gu Xiulian, President of China-ASEAN Association (CAA) delivered a keynote speech and announced the opening of the activities. Mr. KORN DABBARANSI, the former deputy Prime Minister and the President of Thailand-China Friendship Association (TCFA), Mr. Yin Li, Governor of Sichuan Provincial People’s Government, made speeches respectively. Around 250 personages including Mme. Lin Yi, Vice President of the CPAFFC, Mr. Liu Jie, Deputy Director-General of the Standing Committee of Sichuan Provincial People’s Congress, and leaders from friendship organizations in China and ASEAN countries, as well as youth representatives, attended the opening ceremony.
Gu Xiulian said, with a theme of Sharing Development Experience, Promoting Service Strategic Docking, Building a Community with a Shared Future between China and neighboring countries, the Meeting closely followed the background of the times and the hot issues covering the 40th anniversary of reform and opening-up, Belt and Road Initiative and etc.. The Exchange Festival, with a theme of Innovation Creating Development, Youth Leading Future, was a better response to the China-ASEAN Year of Innovation. She pointed out , with the further development of the reform and opening up, China will bring more opportunities to the foreign countries in the world including ASEAN countries. Nongovernmental “10+1” friendly mechanism should not forget the starting mission of learning each other and should adhere to the attitude of opening up and cooperation and make contributions to build a closer Community with a Shared Future between China and ASEAN countries.
Yin Li said, nongovernmental organizations of China and ASEAN countries had made active contributions to the development of ASEAN-China strategic partnership. Cultural exchanges of the youth had become an important bond among the hearts of the peoples. This activity will be certain to provide new opportunities for the cooperation for win-win results and the exchanges of the youth between Sichuan and ASEAN countries, also enhance the cultural resonance among the peoples and strengthen a friendly foundation for the relationship between China and ASEAN countries as well as commonly promote and create a higher level of China-ASEAN strategic partnership.
KORN DABBARANSI expressed that the nongovernmental “10+1” dialogue mechanism jointly launched by China and ASEAN countries fifteen years ago, which had become a successful and sustainable people-to-people dialogue platform toward peace and prosperity. This mechanism is cohesion of the willingness and consensus of nearly 2 billion people from China and ASEAN and played a vital role in peace, stability and prosperity of this region and the world. The friendly organizations from ASEAN countries firmly support the nongovernmental "10+1" mechanism and are willing to work with China to create a more close friendly relationship.
This Meeting invited nearly 30 people from the 10 ASEAN countries including 11 leaders from friendly organizations to attend this activity. It would hold three plenary meetings and arrange inspections on the topics of Belt and Road Initiative, opening-up and others. Over a hundred college students from the 9 ASEAN countries were invited to attend this Exchange Festival and were divided into three groups with 30 college students from Chengdu to visit Sichuan and other places, and exchanged their views with the representatives.
