The China ASEAN Center successfully held the 3rd Sustainable Development Cooperation Conference

On May 11-12, 2025, the China ASEAN Center, together with the Foreign Affairs Office of Zhejiang Provincial People's Government and the People's Government of Huzhou City, jointly hosted the 3rd China ASEAN Sustainable Development Cooperation Conference in Nanxun, Huzhou. Ambassador Zhongjun Shi, Secretary General of the China ASEAN Center, Attila, Acting Consul General of Malaysia in Shanghai, Wang Hongwei, Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Zhejiang Provincial People's Government, Zheng Xinyou, Deputy Mayor of Huzhou City, and Yang Guozhi, District Chief of Nanxun District, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches. Over 200 ASEAN diplomats in China, including the Consul General of Laos in Shanghai, Vindawan Jiaobenkong, and the Ambassador Counsellor of the Indonesian Embassy in China, Nadia, as well as representatives from local provinces, cities, international organizations, ASEAN business associations, financial institutions, enterprises, think tanks, and media, attended the meeting.

Shi Zhongjun stated that the development concepts of China and ASEAN are highly integrated, and both adhere to the development path with green as the background, innovation as the driving force, and people as the center, making positive contributions to the sustainable development of the region. In recent years, both sides have actively explored the path of industrial transformation and upgrading, continuously deepened mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of sustainable development, effectively driven the green transformation of the economy and society of both sides, and made Asian contributions to promoting the achievement of the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. With the full implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the substantial end of the China ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 upgrade negotiations, the green technology trade barriers between China and ASEAN will be significantly reduced, and the space for both sides to carry out green and sustainable development cooperation will be even broader. In the current situation where the United States has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, engaged in a major tariff and trade war, and intensified global challenges, China and ASEAN must adhere to rules based, open, and inclusive multilateralism, promote regional integration and integrated development, continue to deepen green transformation, cultivate technological innovation cooperation, and jointly inject resilience and quality into regional sustainable development.

Attila stated that in recent years, ASEAN China relations have made significant progress. Recently, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited ASEAN countries such as Malaysia, reaffirming China's position as a close neighbor and long-term strategic partner of ASEAN. The leaders of both sides signed multiple cooperation agreements, demonstrating their confidence in deepening mutually beneficial cooperation and jointly maintaining regional stability and prosperity. ASEAN and China are each other's largest trading partners, with broad prospects for future cooperation. As the rotating chair of ASEAN this year, Malaysia is willing to work together with all parties to tackle global challenges and embrace opportunities for the development of the times.

Wang Xiaojun, Director of the United Nations Office for South South Cooperation Fund, sent a video speech to the conference. She stated that in the current context of globalization facing challenges, regional integration, and sustainable development, the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and ASEAN has become a model of South South cooperation. The theme of this conference, "Green Leadership, Creating a Shared Future," is in line with the spirit of inclusive, sustainable, and digitally empowered development advocated by the United Nations Future Summit, and has significant practical significance. The United Nations Office for South South Cooperation is willing to work tirelessly with all parties to promote cooperation in areas such as green development and digital economy in Asia and even globally.