On September 21, the 15^th China-ASEAN Think Tank Strategic Dialogue Forum, co-hosted by the Counsellors’ Office of the State Council (COSC) and the People’s Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, was successfully held in Nanning, Guangxi. Gao Yu, Chairman of the COSC, and Liao Pinhu, Vice Chairman of the People’s Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, attended the forum and delivered addresses. 

Gao Yu, Chairman of COSC, attended the forum and delivered an address

In his address, Mr. Gao noted that this year marks the 20^th anniversary of the China-ASEAN strategic partnership and the 10^th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping, and it is of great significance to convene the 15^th China-ASEAN Think Tank Strategic Dialogue Forum. He observed that China-ASEAN relations have entered the fast lane and gained strong momentum. He called for greater appreciation of the hard-won cooperation achievements, a continued commitment to openness and inclusiveness, and joint efforts to safeguard and promote regional peace, development and prosperity. He also stressed the need to open a new chapter of Belt and Road cooperation featuring broader coverage, higher standards and deeper engagement. Mr. Gao expressed the COSC’s readiness to work with all parties to keep pace with new trends in China-ASEAN relations, deepen exchanges and cooperation between think tanks, and offer stronger intellectual support to the new journey of Belt and Road cooperation and building a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future. 

Liao Pinhu, Vice Chairman of the People’s Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, attended the forum and delivered an address

Mr. Liao noted that China and ASEAN countries have always adhered to the principles of sincerity, mutual support, mutual benefit, reciprocity, coordination and inclusiveness, and have forged a path of long-term good-neighborly friendship and common development and prosperity. As China’s only provincial region bordering ASEAN countries by both land and sea, Guangxi serves as the gateway for China’s opening-up and cooperation with ASEAN and is a participant, contributor and beneficiary of China-ASEAN friendly cooperation. He welcomed think tanks and experts from all countries to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with research institutes and relevant organizations in the region, and offer valuable suggestions and well-grounded policy proposals for Guangxi’s development. 

Forum in session

Zhu Guangyao, Counsellor of the State Council and former Vice Minister of Finance, delivered a keynote speech via video titled “Fruitful China-ASEAN Cooperation and a Promising Future Ahead.” Xian Zude, Counsellor of the State Council and former Deputy Commissioner of the National Bureau of Statistics of China, delivered a keynote speech titled “Targeted Macro Policies to Promote Sustained Economic Recovery and Growth.” Lou Hong, Special Research Fellow of COSC, also attended the forum. 

The 15^th China-ASEAN Think Tank Strategic Dialogue Forum was one of the high-level forums under the framework of the 20^th China-ASEAN Expo, co-organized by the Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences, the Counsellors’ Office of the People’s Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the National Institute of International Strategy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Guangxi Characteristic New-type Think Tank Alliance, and the China-ASEAN Expo Secretariat. With the theme “Collective Wisdom for a Shared Future: Forging Ahead on the New Journey of Belt and Road Cooperation,” the forum featured in-depth discussions and exchanges on the achievements and prospects of the 10^th anniversary of the China-ASEAN Belt and Road cooperation, innovative development of cross-border industrial and supply chains, promoting high-standard institutional opening-up, and mutual learning between civilizations. Aiming to build greater consensus and boost confidence, the forum offered more targeted think tank solutions for deepening regional cooperation and global governance. 

      The forum also saw speeches or keynote addresses delivered by Khanlasy Keobounphanh, Vice President of the Lao Academy of Social and Economic Sciences, Lei Lei Thein, Member of the Executive Board of the Myanmar Institute of Strategic and International Studies, and Ong Tee Keat, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Parliament of Malaysia, former Federal Minister of Transport of Malaysia, and President of the Belt and Road Initiative Caucus for Asia-Pacific. Over 300 participants attended the forum, including representatives from think tanks, universities, and consular offices in Nanning from ASEAN countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as representatives from multiple Chinese government agencies, think tanks, universities, enterprises and media agencies. Attendees also included experts from the Counsellors’ Offices of Fujian, Shandong, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces.