In the morning of December, the opening ceremony of 2021 ASEAN-China Cultural and Tourism Week was started in Changsha. Zhang Xu, vice cultural and tourism minister, delivered a speech. Attendees included He Baoxiang, vice Hunan governor, Shao Qiwei, vice chairman of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance, Arthayudh Srisamoot, Thailand ambassador to China, Chen Dehai, secretary general of China-ASEAN Centre, and Zheng Jianxin, mayor and vice secretary of Changsha and Secretary of Party Working Committee of Xiangjiang New district of Hunan province. The ceremony was hosted by the Chen Yuanping, vice director and secretary of the leading party group of Hunan provincial cultural and tourism department. Other attendees included heads of Changsha, including Chen Peng and Liu Mingli, as well as representatives of embassies in China, including Cambodian embassy, Indonesian embassy, Laotian embassy, Malaysian embassy, Burmese embassy, Vietnamese embassy and so on.
Zhang Xu said that this year was the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the partnership between China and ASEAN and a cooperation year of China-ASEAN sustainable development announced by heads of China and ASEAN. Not long ago, at the summit to commemorate the 30th anniversary of China-ASEAN dialogue relations, heads of China and ASEAN countries announced the establishment of the strategic partnership. He hoped that under the regular prevention and control of the pandemic, both sides would cooperate, learn from each other and overcome shock sent to tourism and cultural industry by the pandemic, so as to create new highlight to China-ASEAN cultural and tourism cooperation, then inject more vitality into the construction of community of China-ASEAN with a shared future.
He Baoxiang introduced that in recent years, Hunan had been making full use of the construction of community of China-ASEAN with a shared future as well as the building of three highlands (for national important advanced manufacturing, innovative science and technology with core competition and reform and opening-up in the interior land of China) and four new mission (including new path in pushing forward high-quality development, new work done in building a new development structure, new responsibility in the rise of middle part of China and the development of Yangtze Economic Belt and a new chapter for sticking to and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in Hunan for a new era.) There had been achievements. ASEAN had became Hunan’s largest partner through improved communication and cooperation with ASEAN countries. There were 11 pairs of friendly cities with ASEAN countries. International routes linking Hunan and 10 countries in ASEAN. The province had made meticulous plan for a series of events named “Beautiful Xiaoxiang” entering ASEAN. The event had multiple highlights and profound influence. The province welcomed friends from other countries to take a walk and have a look in Hunan, so as to feel the unique attraction and growing vitality in this place.
Arthayudh Srisamoot expressed his gratitude to China in pushing forward China-ASEAN cultural and tourism exchanges. He hoped that cultural exchanges events like 2021 China-ASEAN cultural tourism week could promote communication and cooperation between China and ASEAN, so as to realize win-win cooperation.
Chen Dehai said that China and ASEAN boasted amazing and diverse culture and colorful tourism resource. China was the largest tourist source of the ASEAN and the most popular outbound destination of ASEAN tourists. He expected that the event could improve the exchanges and cooperation in cultural field, so as to enable people of both sides to know each other better and to have closer relationship.
Zheng Jianxin said that culture and tourism would act as media to prosperity. Changsha would cherish the friendship more to promote strategic cooperation in all aspects, offering strong driving force to build an international cultural innovative center and a city as a center of international tourism and contributing to form a China-ASEAN community with a shared fate.
The theme of the event was “building ‘the belt and road’ together for win-win cooperation and sustainable development”. The mission was to have closer cooperation between China and ASEAN in cultural and tourism cooperation field and improve the cultural communication and mutual learning between us. The event lasted till December 31st before which, there would be China-ASEAN cultural and tourism sustainable development and communication, 2021 China-ASEAN music industrial dialogue, theme promotion song and theme song list event, China-ASEAN culture and tourism picture exhibition, Changsha, Hunan cultural tourism promotion conference, “Beautiful Xiaoxiang and happy Changsha” culture and tourism exhibition and Hunan culture and tourism resource inspection.