BEIJING, 13 JUNE 2018 – Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dato Lim Jock Hoi highlighted that in light of the 15^th Anniversary of ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership, both ASEAN and China are committed to continuing to further strengthen the partnership.

Meeting State Councillor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, Wang Yi at his office yesterday, Dato Lim said while substantive cooperation in political and security and economic pillars are ongoing, there is a need to redouble efforts to further enhance collaboration in socio cultural pillar.

“People-to-people relations will serve as an important component to sustain future cooperation between ASEAN and China,’’ said the Secretary-General.

In welcoming the proposal of Dato Lim, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that ASEAN and China need to enrich the contents of the partnership, including by strengthening people-to-people ties and cultural exchanges.

“People-to-people cooperation is the next bright spot in our relations and it presents a huge potential for cooperation between ASEAN and China,’’ said Minister Wang Yi. He also said China is working towards coordinating its cooperation with ASEAN to ensure collaboration activities be delivered in an effective and efficient manner.

Secretary-General Dato Lim assured that the ASEAN Secretariat would work closely with the ASEAN Committee of Permanent Representatives and the Mission of China to ASEAN to ensure effective implementation of cooperation activities and the utilisation of ASEAN-China Cooperation Fund.

Minister Wang Yi further suggested that ASEAN and China explore synergies between Belt Road Initiative and the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025, adding that both sides could also look into strengthening sub-regional cooperation.

Secretary-General Dato Lim was in China to attend the 18^th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO Summit 2018) on 9-10 June 2018 in Qingdao, China. While in China, Secretary-General Dato Lim called on H.E. Wang Yi, State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China. He also met with the Vice Minister of Commerce, Vice Minister of Finance, the Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre, the Secretary-General of SCO, the Secretary-General of Boao Forum for Asia, and the ASEAN Committee in Beijing.

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