JAKARTA, 24 April 2020 – ASEAN and China reaffirmed their commitment to forge closer cooperation and further strengthen their strategic partnership at the 21st ASEAN-China Joint Cooperation Committee meeting held via video conference yesterday.
The meeting welcomed the progress made in the implementation of the ASEAN-China Plan of Action 2016-2020 which includes the large number of activities and projects implemented in more than 90% of the action lines identified in the plan.
Progress has been made in areas such as political-security, trade, transport, tourism, education, public health, culture and information, media, environment, and narrowing the development gap. A new Plan of Action is also being prepared to further enhance cooperation for the next five-years (2021-2025).
Both sides further discussed the follow-up to the decisions and initiatives made at the 22nd ASEAN-China Summit last year. ASEAN and China continue to strengthen trade and investment relations, through the implementation of the Protocol to upgrade the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area as well as enhancing regional connectivity.
People-to-people exchanges are also being advanced through collaboration in areas such as tourism and education, including through the implementation of flagship projects such as the ASEAN-China Young Leaders’ Scholarship Programme.
The meeting also discussed activities under the ASEAN-China Digital Economy Year 2020 which would help enhance cooperation in areas such as e-commerce.
Further, the two sides exchanged views on development in the region. The meeting emphasised the efforts made by ASEAN and China in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers Meeting on COVID-19 held in February.
Both sides further underlined the need to step up ASEAN-China cooperation through existing frameworks in mitigating the pandemic and its impact. Participants also underscored the need to ensure the regional supply chains, especially for essential goods such as food, commodities, medicines and medical supplies.
The meeting was co-chaired by the Permanent Representative of the Philippines to ASEAN Noel Servigon and Ambassador of China to ASEAN Deng Xijun and attended by members of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN, the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Political-Security Community, and their respective delegations.
- ABOUT ASEAN
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding Fathers of ASEAN: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam joined ASEAN on 7 January 1984, followed by Viet Nam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999, making up what is today the ten Member States of ASEAN.Menu - WHAT WE DO
ASEAN organs always strive to achieve ASEAN’s goals and objectives, the Secretary-General of ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat shall be functioned as coordinating Secretariat to help facilitate effective decision-making withing and amongst ASEAN bodies. In addition, each Member State shall appoint a Permanent Representative to liaise with Secretary-General of ASEAN and the ASEAN SecretariatÂ
Menu - WHO WE WORK WITH
ASEAN shall develop friendly relations and mutually beneficial dialogues, cooperation and partnerships with countries and sub-regional, regional and international organisations and institutions. This includes external partners, ASEAN entities, human rights bodies, non-ASEAN Member States Ambassadors to ASEAN, ASEAN committees in third countries and international organisations, as well as international / regional organisations.
Menu - OUR COMMUNITIES
The rodmap for an ASEAN Community (2009-2015) was declared by the leaders in 2009. The ASEAN Community, anchored on three community pillars: Political-Security Community, Economic Community, Socio-Cultural Community was launched in 2015. The ASEAN 2025: Forging Ahead Together was introduced in 2015 as a Post-2015 Vision. It comprises the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, the ASEAN Political-Security Community Blueprint 2025, the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint 2025 and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint 2025
Menu
