By ASEAN-China Centre (ACC)

ACC Secretary-General Attended and Addressed International Conference on Belt and Road & Greater Mekong Sub-region Cooperation

By ASEAN-China Centre (ACC)

On 1 September 2017, H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping,Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre(ACC), attended and addressed the International Conference on Belt and Road & Greater Mekong Subregion Cooperation held in Chiang Mai.

Secretary-General Yang Xiuping briefly introduced the development of relations between China and ASEAN and the fruitful achievements made by the two sides. She said that jointly building the Belt and Road has become a new highlight of ASEAN-China relations. Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) will help the six countries harness the advantages of geographical proximity,cultural af fi nity and economic complementarity to further tap their development potential and narrow development gaps among ASEAN countries as well as speed up the building of ASEAN community and regional integration.In future, the two sides should further synergize development strategies and continue to strengthen policy coordination and top-level design; promote connectivity in all areas and launch more new projects; cultivate more cooperation highlights and growth areas; join hands to promote industrial upgrading and enhance cooperation in technology innovation and other areas; fully tap the potential of local exchanges; deepen people-to-people exchanges, especially in the areas of education; and cultivate more talents for the joint building of the Belt and Road.

The International Conference on Belt and Road & Greater Mekong Sub-region Cooperation

Secretary-General Yang Xiuping also briefed on the work of ACC in promoting friendly exchanges and cooperation between ASEAN and China. She expressed that ACC would continue to harness its role as a onestop information and activities centre, work with relevant partners from all walks of life, contribute to the building of the Belt and Road and raise the cooperation between ASEAN and China as well as the Greater Mekong Subregion cooperation to a new level.

Ms. Supee Teravaninthorn, Director General of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Mr. Chaiwat Thongkamkoon, Director General of Of fi ce of Transportand Traffic Policy and Planning of Ministry of Transport of Thailand, Prof. Wang Huiyao, Counselor of Of fi ce of the State Council of China and President of the Centre for China and Globalization, as well as Prof. Wang Yiwei, Director of the Institute of the International Affairs of Renmin University respectively delivered speeches at the plenary session.They highly valued the positive achievements of the building of the Belt and Road, and expressed that,based on the principles of extensive consultation,joint contribution and shared benefits, the initiative has presented a brand new concept and opportunity to push forward the world economy and achieve a more inclusive globalization. As the development level of Mekong countries is different and their economy is highly compatible with each other, there is great potential for future cooperation. Besides constructing more physical infrastructure such as roads and railways, the relevant sides should put more efforts on promoting regional connectivity on soft infrastructure(such as lowering customs duties and speeding up customs clearing process, so as to lower logistic costs)and promoting further facilitation of regional trade and investment. In energy cooperation, all countries concerned should give full play to their comparative advantages and tap the hydro power potential of Mekong river and realize regional connectivity in energy market. China has successful experience in development of infrastructure, E-commerce, logistics management, telecommunication, etc. which could be shared with Mekong countries. All sides involved should seize the opportunity to actively push forward the building of the Belt and Road, solidly raise the level of regional connectivity and economic integrity and deliver more benefits to the peoples along the river.

Panel sessions, centered on economic and trade,investment, information technology and Smart City,tourism, culture, education and heritage, were held after the plenary session. Participants exchanged views on the relevant topics and looked forward to continuing to deepen mutually bene fi cial cooperation and realize common development.