[Fuzhou Evening News] The first “ASEAN-China Week” took place in Fuzhou from August 5 to August 11. Representatives from China and the ASEAN member states, the secretariat of the ASEAN, diplomatic envoys of the ASEAN member states in China as well as business and overseas student representatives got together in Fuzhou to discuss economic and trade cooperation and exchanges between China and the ASEAN member states.

In the first “ASEAN-China Week”, a slew of activities were held including the economic and trade cooperation forum, the film week, the youth forum, the gourmet carnival, the seminar on traditional Chinese medicine and the tour of Fujian, demonstrating friendly cooperation between China and the ASEAN in all respects and from many dimensions.

In the opening ceremony, attendees highly affirmed the positive implications of the ASEAN-China strategic partnership over the two decades for all the ASEAN member states. In particular, buoyed by the co-construction of the Belt and Road Initiative and the consensus in the Mater Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 (MPAC2025), China and the ASEAN have seen increasing cooperation and exchanges in multiple fields. The two parties continue to ramp up policy coordination, build infrastructures and expand trade ties, paving a solid foundation for the future of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the ASEAN.

In the forum themed “ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for the New Era”, state leaders and diplomatic envoys of the ASEAN as well as experts and scholars approached thoroughly the three topics, namely “connectivity”, “cooperation” and “innovation” and came up with constructive thoughts, including making progress in ASEAN-China exchanges and cooperation and facilitating the construction of a closer ASEAN-China community with a shared destiny.(Wang Guanghui/Chen Nuan)