SISTER-CITY PARTNERSHIPS PROPEL PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE EXCHANGE

By Wang Fengjuan

SISTER-CITY PARTNERSHIPS PROPEL PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE EXCHANGE

By Wang Fengjuan

Agreements signed by local governments in Chinaand ASEAN countries set to be the catalyst for improved understanding

Ni Qiang, Mayor of Hainan’s provincial capital Haikou, and U Maung Maung Soe, Mayor of Myanmar’s capital Yangon, at the signing ceremony for an agreement to establish sistercity relations between the two cities.

Since many cities in China have established sister-city relationships with cities of ASEAN member states — such as the partnership that exists between China’s Kunming and Myanmar’s Yangon —city partnership has become a major channel for promoting understanding, friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and other countries across the world. It has also been a vital driving force and cornerstone in the development of bilateral relations. So far, China has established sistercity relations with 2,300 cities or states in 133 countries worldwide, building friendship bridges, cooperative networks and winwin ties with the rest of the world.

Just before the ASEAN-China Governors/Mayors’ Dialogue, held on March 24 as part of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2017, two important agreements were finalized between China and ASEAN member countries. The first such agreement was between southern China’s Hainan province and the Philippines’ Palawan province, and the second agreement was between Hainan’s provincial capital, Haikou, and Yangon, Myanmar’s capital.

Initiated in 2015, two sessions of the ASEAN-China Governors/ Mayors’ Dialogue have already been held. As a new exchange mechanism, it has played an irreplaceable role in promoting China-ASEAN dialogues at the local government level. During this year’s session, delegates discussed and shared their opinions on a number of issues under the main topic of“deepening people-to-people exchange, advancing the Belt and Road Initiative”.

Exploring New Models

The year 2017 marks the China-ASEAN Year of Tourism Cooperation, as well as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development declared by the United Nations. Governors and mayors from China and ASEAN countries of f ered their advice on tourism development, one of the highlighted areas of China-ASEAN cooperation.

“China is now the largestsource country of foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in ASEAN, and six of the top 15 countries with the most FTAs in China are ASEAN countries,” said Yang Xiuping, Secretary General of the ASEANChina Center. Yang said she believes that with great potential and broad prospects, China-ASEAN tourism cooperation can propel the Belt and Road Initiative.

Yang Xiuping, Secretary General of the ASEANChina Center.

Pov Piseth, Vice Governor of Cambodia’s Siem Reap Province.

Lim Hock Seng, Executive Councilor of Malaysia’s Penang State.

“The two sides should explore new models of tourism cooperation to promote coordinated development in various fields,” Yang added.

Sister-city or provincial partnerships provide new opportunities for China-ASEAN tourism cooperation.

“We have the magnificent Angkor Wat, numerous ancient temples and fantastic sunsets, all in Siem Reap,” said Pov Piseth, Vice Governor of Cambodia’s Siem Reap province, beaming with pride and sending a warm invitation to all participants to visit his province. “With the potential of the Siem Reap tourism industry determined, we have made a strategic plan for tourism development from 2012 to 2020. Ecotourism, green tourism and community-based tourism are the three key areas to be improved.”

Peou also said he hopes that all concerned parties enhance their cooperation to facilitate tourism development.

Malaysia’s Penang state and Hainan province became sister states/provinces in 2013. Lim Hock Seng, Executive Councilor of Penang State, said he expects that friendly exchanges between Penang and Hainan could be strengthened through cooperation in fields like tourism, investment and culture. Since Penang boasts wonderful landscapes and a diverse culture, Lin noted that all are “welcome to Penang to enjoy our food and culture”.

Concerning methods to deepen tourism cooperation, a number of Dialogue participants suggested that powered by the construction of the Belt and Road, China and ASEAN countries should strengthen connectivity and improve the quality of tourism services to foster people-to-people exchanges. At the same time, preferential policies should be introduced to make tourist travel more convenient.

Zhang Wei, Vice Mayor of Nanning, capital of China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Liu Cigui, Governor of China’s Hainan Province.

Omphoeurn Kunvuth, Deputy Governor of Cambodia’s Kampong Cham Province.

Jose Chaves Alvarez, Governor of Palawan Province, the Philippines.

Educational exchange reaches new heights

Number of Chinese university students in ASEAN countries

Number of ASEAN university students in China

30 training centers for ASEAN students have been set up by China’s Ministry of Education and Ministry of Foreign Af f airs

The number of agreements signed with ASEAN universities by universities in Hainan province alone

The number of annual scholarships of f ered to ASEAN students through the “Study in Hainan” project

Zhang Wei, vice mayor of Nanning, capital of southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said he believes that simplifying visa procedures should be a key part of promoting China-ASEAN tourism cooperation.

“Now, Chinese travelers departing from Nanning can enter some ASEAN countries like Thailand without a visa, and we expect more agreements on this issue to be made in the future,” Zhang said. He also pointed out that a regional tourism collaboration and communication mechanism should be established for high-level coordination and cooperation projects. Moreover, ef f orts should be made to build long-term cooperation mechanisms and enhance regional collaboration on joint marketing, such as tourism resources sharing, product promotion and mutually beneficial policies.

Educational Exchanges

As an old Chinese proverb goes, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime”. Development cannot be realized without knowledge, education and experience. In fact, education has long been a key priority in China-ASEAN people-to-people exchanges.

So far, China has signed educational exchange and cooperation agreements with all ASEAN member states, and agreements on mutual recognition of university degrees with four of them. In 2016, a total of 120,000 Chinese students were pursuing their education in ASEAN countries, while more than 80,000 ASEAN students pursued their degrees in China. So far, China’s Ministry of Education and Ministry of Foreign Af f airs have jointly set up 30 education and training centers targeting students from ASEAN countries.

Liu Cigui, Governor of Hainan, noted that universities in Hainan have established partnership relations with 36 ASEAN higher education institutions, and more cooperation in academic and research projects is expected in areas such as tropical agriculture, tropical medicine, oceanography, tourism and language study.“Study in Hainan”, an ongoing provincial government project, plans to of f er scholarships to 100 ASEAN students each year. Meanwhile, Chinese university students in Hainan are encouraged to apply for exchange programs organized by ASEAN higher education institutions. Hainan will also raise fund through dif f erent channels to increase education aid to ASEAN countries. Around 300 technical and managerial personnel will receive professional training each year.

Omphoeurn Kunvuth, Deputy Governor of Cambodia’s Kampong Cham Province, said that considering the development gap between China and countries like Cambodia, there should be educational cooperation targeted at national development. He said he hopes that Cambodian students and civil servants will gain access to visiting and training programs to promote exchanges in culture, religion and language, as well as to learn from China’s experience.

According to Jose Chaves Alvarez, Governor of Palawan Province, the Philippines, China-ASEAN educational cooperation has been a good example of people-to-people exchange between the two sides, as it has facilitated the spread of knowledge across borders. Alvarez suggested that partnerships should be established in education-related areas based on the needs of

Excerpts from the Joint Statement for the 2017 ASEAN-China Governors/Mayors’ Dialogue

I.All parties conducted extensive exchange on promoting comprehensive and practical cooperation between China and ASEAN countries around the theme of “Deepening People-to-People Exchange and Advancing the Belt and Road Initiative”, with a focus on cooperation in education and tourism. All parties agree that the Dialogue is a pragmatic and efficient one and has produced fruitful results.

II.All parties recognize that 2016 was the 25th anniversary of the China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations and it is satisfying to see China and ASEAN countries have worked closely to maintain maritime security and regional peace and stability, and to promote the sound development of China-ASEAN relations. 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of ASEAN. China-ASEAN relations will build on the past success of rapid development and enter a stage of upgraded cooperation. All parties stand ready to make their due contribution.

III.All parties believe the Belt and Road Initiative put forward by China serves the interests of China and ASEAN countries, and opens up broad vistas for mutually beneficial cooperation and common development between China and ASEAN. All parties support the International Summit on Cooperation along the Belt and Road, and would like to take that opportunity to enhance strategic alignment between China and ASEAN.

IV.All parties agree that cooperation in education and tourism serves to promote people-to-people exchange, increase mutual understanding, enhance friendly ties and form a favorable public opinion. All parties put forward suggestions for better cooperation in education and tourism as follows:

i. All parties are willing to enhance cooperation in the field of education to foster a favorable public opinion and intellectual capital that are essential for economic and social sustainability.

ii. All parties are willing to take advantage of their close vicinity and affinity to conduct comprehensive cooperation in education based on the principles of equality, reciprocity and win-win results.

iii. All parties are willing to further open their education services, eliminate barriers and share resources to raise the educational level for all.

iv. All parties are willing to leverage their respective advantages to strengthen cooperation in international students, language education, joint programs, scientific research, vocational training and IT application.

v. All parties believe China and ASEAN have great potential in tourism cooperation, and are willing to promote tourism as a new pillar of an upgraded China-ASEAN relationship.

vi. All parties are willing to improve tourism infrastructure and service system, make better arrangements and enhance efficiency. Ef f orts will be made to gradually improve connectivity so as to pave the way for integrated development of regional tourism.

vii. All parties are willing to engage in various forms of exchange and cooperation in publicity campaigns, marketing and management, product design and development, human resource training and infrastructure construction in the field of tourism.

viii. All parties are willing to work together to develop tourism resources, explore customer markets, design new routes and build information platforms, to keep extending the depth and breadth of tourism cooperation.

V.All parties believe exchange between local governments constitutes an important part of China-ASEAN relations and the Dialogue serves as an essential platform for advancing exchange and cooperation between local governments. All parties are willing to work together for greater prospects of local government cooperation, more sisterhood relations between counterpart provinces and cities and steady progress of China-ASEAN relations. development of concerned parties.

The Belt and Road Initiative is now transforming from an idea into a tangible set of accomplishments, which could not have been achieved without the implementation of specific projects. Since cities are important carriers in the process of implementation, strengthening exchanges between cities along the route is not only a priority in deepening China-ASEAN cooperation, but it also provides an historic opportunity for regional development.

Participants of the Dialogue agreed upon the theme of“deepening people-to-people exchange, advancing the Belt and Road Initiative”. They also said they hope that following the principles of mutual benefit and win-win results, all-round cooperation on education could be launched to remove barriers and realize resource sharing. At the same time, the great potential of China-ASEAN tourism cooperation should be fully exploited to improve tourism infrastructure and services, facilitating integrated regional tourism development.

By the end of the meeting, an ASEAN-China Governors/Mayors’Joint Statement was signed. All attendees stated they believe the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China serves the needs of ASEAN countries in terms of development, providing broad prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation between China and ASEAN. All concerned parties are willing to work together to tap cooperation potential at the local government level and continue to promote friendly relations between China and ASEAN cities or provinces. Such cooperation will prove an important part of the sound and healthy development of China-ASEAN relations.