Wu Jiong

O n June 30， the 13th Conference on ASEAN-China People-to-People Friendship was held successfully on site and online simultaneously.

Gu Xiulian， president of the China-ASEAN Association； Lin Songtian， president of the Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries； Yuan Mindao， vice-president of the CPAFFC； and representatives of friendship associations and organizations from 10 ASEAN Countries and China， had candid and friendly exchanges on the theme “Direction of Cooperation on ASEAN-China People-to-People Friendship during the Pandemic and Post Pandemic of COVID-19”. They reached broad consensus and unanimously approved a joint declaration， voicing their common aspiration for safeguarding unity， peace and prosperity in Asia.

A b o u t 2 0 0 p a r t i c i p a n t s attended the conference， including representatives of friendship organizations， friendly individuals， local government officials， scholars， think tanks and media from China and 10 ASEAN countries.

In her keynote speech， Gu Xiulian said that China and ASEAN are important strategic partners committed to regional peace， stability， unity， harmony， development and prosperity. Over the past 30 years， China and ASEAN have developed a dynamic， enriching and influential relationship， she said.

In November， President Xi Jinping and ASEAN leaders announced that the two sides would upgrade bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership and build a peaceful， secure， prosperous， beautiful and amicable home together. This opened a new chapter in China-ASEAN relations and charted a new direction for friendly cooperation between the two peoples.

Gu noted that China had presented the world with a simple， safe and wonderful Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing earlier this year. The event played an important role in promoting global solidarity and cooperation to tide over difficulties and sent out a strong message to the world：“Together for a Shared Future”.

Later this year， the Communist Party of China will convene its 20th National Congress to draw up a new blueprint for Chinas future development and guide the Chinese people in comprehensively building socialist modernization.

Looking to the future， Gu expressed willingness to work with the friendship organizations of ASEAN countries to implement the important consensus reached by leaders of both sides.

“We should join hands to overcome COVID-19， promote innovation and development， enhance mutual understanding and affinity， carry forward the Asian spirit and inherit， maintain and develop ChinaASEAN friendship in the new era so as to make new contributions to building an even closer community with a shared future，” she said.

L e a d e r s o f f r i e n d s h i p o r g a n i z a t i o n s i n A S E A N countries congratulated China on its great achievements in completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and eliminating absolute poverty. They commended the fruitful outcomes of high-quality Belt and Road Initiative cooperation between the two sides， such as the Laos-China Railway and the Myanmar-China Economic Corridor. They thanked China for its generous donation and vaccine assistance in the fight against COVID-19.

They also agreed that ASEAN countries and China are friendly neighbors. The establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership at the end of 2021 marks a new era for bilateral relations， they said.

Facing a complex and volatile regional and international situation and various risks and challenges， they said， the two sides should carry forward the Bandung Spirit and the Spirit of Asian Solidarity， jointly uphold the UN Charter and international equity and justice and make positive contributions to the peace， stability， development and prosperity of the region and the world.

CPAFFC President Lin noted in his speech that China and ASEAN enjoy geographical proximity and both cultural and people-to-people affinity. He said that diversity， openness， inclusiveness and solidarity are built into the DNA of China and ASEAN.

“Solidarity， harmonious and peaceful coexistence， universal harmony and Asia as one family have always been our common pursuit，” he said. “Upholding the beauty of each civilization and harmony with diversity among civilizations have always been our common aspiration. Mutual respect， seeking common ground while shelving differences， exchanges and dialogue， mutual learning and win-win cooperation for common development have always been our common way to get along with each other. To build a closer China-ASEAN community with shared interests and a shared future has always been our common goal.”

Lin said history and facts have repeatedly proved that inciting political camp confrontation， seeking absolute security and maximizing ones own interests at the expense of the security of other countries — or depriving other peoples of their right to live — are never civilized actions. Going back on promises， the willful use of unilateral sanctions， exerting extreme pressure or saber-rattling， all of which rely on power with no moral compass， are never civilized actions.

Ignoring ones own deep-seated political， social， health and livelihood issues while stoking flames overseas and creating regional turmoil and global crises to disrupt the world — all to profit from chaos and to maintain hegemony— are never civilized actions， Lin said. “Such actions are incompatible with Oriental civilization， let alone the often-touted civilization， democracy and human rights of the West， and are certainly against the will of the people.”

L i n i n t r o d u c e d C h i n as developmental achievements and the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and ASEAN. He noted that President Xi had put forward new thinking， new concepts， new ideas and new measures， such as Belt and Road Initiative， Global Development Initiative， Global Security Initiative and the initiative for building a community with a shared future for mankind. These have received wide recognition and a positive response from the international community， especially ASEAN countries.

Lin pledged that the CPAFFC stands ready to work closely with all ASEAN members to build a peaceful， safe， secure， prosperous， beautiful and amicable home together and to be a good partner in guiding peopleto-people exchanges and cooperation， promoting win-win results and safeguarding peace and stability.

Lin also answered questions about the sharing of Chinas experience in poverty alleviation and about the hopes for resuming China-ASEAN tourism at an early date. He said China is willing to share its success in poverty reduction and development with ASEAN countries without reservation.

“We look forward to sharing the China-Laos Railway experience with leaders of ASEAN friendship organizations as soon as possible after the epidemic and discussing the prospects of friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation，” Lin said.

Regarding the resumption of tourism， he said that China always puts people and life first， adhering to the active epidemic prevention measure of “dynamic COVID-19 clearance”， which has effectively brought the epidemic under control nationwide and maximized the protection of the lives and health of all people.

At present， domestic tourism in China is rapidly recovering， and flights and high-speed trains have increased significantly. However， the United States and the West have responded negatively， and the global pandemic remains at a high level. China is still under great pressure to prevent imported cases and a domestic rebound. It is believed that as long as all parties work together in a scientific and effective manner， people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries can resume at an early date.

In the afternoon， two subforums and the closing ceremony were held. The subforums were themed “ChinaLaos Railway Connecting ChinaASEAN” and “Enhancing ASEANChina People-to-people Friendship， Deepening Mutual Learning and Understanding between Civilizations”.

Experts and scholars from China， Brunei， Laos， Malaysia， Thailand and other ASEAN countries engaged in in-depth analyses on the topics and presented their professional interpretations. Nearly 100 friendly individuals from both sides exchanged views online and looked forward to a bright future for China-ASEAN relations.

The Conference on ASEANChina People-to-People Friendship is an exchange and cooperation platform jointly founded by the CPAFFC and 10 ASEAN friendship organizations in 2006. It is held every two years in turn in various countries. This was the 13th conference and was hosted for the first time by the Laos-China Friendship Association， with the main venue in Vientiane， Laos. Other participants attended online.

It has been agreed by all parties to hold the fourth Leaders Meeting of ASEAN-China People-to-People Friendship Organizations in China in 2023， as well as the 14th Conference on ASEAN-China People-to-People Friendship in Malaysia， which will be hosted by the Malaysia-China Friendship Association.