ASEAN—China Governors/Mayors’ Dialogue Launched in Bo’ao， Hainan

On March 27， 2015， as an important program within the framework of the Bo’ao Forum for Asia （BFA） Annual Conference 2015， the ASEAN-China Governors/Mayors’ Dialogue （ACGMD）， organized by the CPAFFC and Hainan Provincial People’s Government， was launched with the participation of 16 leaders from provinces and cities in China and ASEAN countries.

They discussed “Local Cooperation： Driving Force to Build a Community of Common Destiny” and signed a Joint Statement of the ACGMD.

The Chinese participants included Governor Liu Cigui of Hainan Province， Mayor Huang Qifan of Chong-qing Municipality， Vice Mayor Yan Qingmin of Tianjin Municipality， Vice Governor Wang Lixia of Shaanxi Province， Mayor Miao Ruilin of Nanjing City， Vice Mayor Xie Shuangcheng of Hangzhou City and Vice Mayor Dong Xiaoli of Qingdao City.

Their ASEAN counterparts were： Vice Chairman Mansor B. M. Yassin of the Municipal Board of Bandar Seri Begawan， Brunei Darussalam； Governor Lorn Limthay of Kampong Cham Province and Vice Governor Trac Thai Sieng of Phnom Penh， Cambodia； Governor Made Mangku Pastika of Bali Province， Indonesia； Vice Governor Keophilavanh Aphaylath of Vientiane， Laos； Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng of Penang State， Malaysia； Mayor U Hla Myint of Yangon， Myanmar； Provincial Parliament Member Celestino A. Martinez III of Cebu Province， the Philippines； and Vice Governor Punlop Singhasenee of Phuket Province， Thailand.

CPAFFC Vice President Lin Yi hosted the dialogue.

The participants introduced the resources endowment， cultural heritage， geographical advantages and visions of development in their respective provinces and cities. Chinese representatives focused on the opportunities brought about by China’s Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road Initiatives （the Belt and Road Initiatives）. Through their introductions， a general picture of the Belt and Road was formed in the minds of the participants， with Hainan as the bridgehead of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road and Shaanxi the starting point of the Silk Road， while Chong-qing， Nanjing， Tianjin and Qingdao are strategic junctions on the Belt and Road.

Besides， Hangzhou Vice Mayor Xie Shuangcheng told those present how his city established friendship-city relations with Baguio of the Philippines though they are far apart geographically.

The participants from Bandar Seri Begawan and Bali emphasized the importance of harmony between humankind and nature， while those from Cambodia， Vientiane and Yangon briefed on the achievements of their respective countries in nation building and expressed their willingness to make greater efforts for ASEAN Community construction and furtherance of China-ASEAN relations.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng of Penang told of the significant position of his state in the Malaysian economy and its profound relationship with China. The participants from Cebu and Phuket stressed their goal to build their provinces into tourist resorts by the sea.

Based on their respective specific local conditions， the participants put forward many suggestions and reached the following agreements on strengthening “10+1” cooperation：

1. To coordinate infrastructure planning and jointly build an efficient， effective and convenient network of connectivity.

2. To give full play to their respective advantages and promote cooperation in industry， trade and economy， finance and investment to upgrade the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area.

3. To promote the continuous development of the China-ASEAN “blue economy” and make joint efforts to build up the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.

4. To further promote cooperation in culture， education， science， technology， sports and religion， and expand media and personnel exchanges to consolidate the social basis and public support for bilateral friendship.

5. To utilize international conferences in ASEAN countries as a way to enhance “10+1” pragmatic cooperation.

While highly praising the convening of the dialogue， the participants reaffirmed that local cooperation which represents a basic and pragmatic form of cooperation among countries serves as an important platform for deepening exchanges and cooperation against the backdrop of globalization， and plays an important role for all parties to seek common interests and promote peace and development.

The participants agreed that， by using the lever provided by the Bo’ao Forum for Asia platform， the ASEAN-China Governors/Mayors’ Dialogue well demonstrated the openness， commitment and progress at the local level in building a community of common destiny not only between China and ASEAN， but also in Asia as a whole. For that reason， it was agreed the event should be institutionalized and held annually during the BFA annual conference.