On March 29, President Li Xiaolin attended and made a keynote speech on the 2019 ASEAN-China Governors/Mayors’ Dialogue co-hosted by the CPAFFC and the People’s Government of Hainan Province in Boao, Hainan. Mr. Mao Chaofeng, Executive Vice Governor of Hainan province and Mrs. Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR government delivered keynote speeches respectively. Around 20 Governors or Mayors from Hainan, Guangzhou,Wuhan of China and Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Thailand as well as Serbia, Sri Lanka participated in the dialogue and discussed on the topic of “ASEAN-China Connectivity and Hainan Free Trade Port”.

Li Xiaolin gave positive comments on the Dialogue for promoting the sub-national exchanges and cooperation between China and ASEAN in the past 5 years. She said that the provinces and cities from both sides should actively join the synchronizations of the Belt and Road Initiative with the development strategies in respective countries, safeguard the free trade and multilateralism, promote the people-to-people inter-connectivity, thus to build a common community with shared future between China and ASEAN local governments.

Mao Chaofeng said that Hainan and ASEAN are close in geological distance and the two peoples enjoyed amicable feelings. The two sides should enhance the inter-connectivity and deepen the pragmatic cooperation which will be conducive to the building of Hainan Free Trade Zone as well as the exploration of the Hainan Free Trade Port with Chinese Characteristics.

Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said that ASEAN is the second trading partner of Hong Kong and HK conducts various exchanges and cooperation in economic and trade and people-to-people field with ASEAN. Hong Kong would continuously take its advantage and play positive role in the advancement of China-ASEAN relations.

The Chinese delegates said that the Dialogue offered an important platform for their opening-up and exchanges with ASEAN and would deepen the inter-connectivity with local governments in ASEAN member states to promote the building of China-ASEAN Community of Shared Future.

The foreign delegates all said that China is a sincere friend and reliable partner for ASEAN countries and would take the good opportunity of the synchronization of the Belt and Road Initiative and development strategies in respective countries to deepen the inter-connectivity and exchanges in each field.

Delegates from all parties signed and issued the Joint Initiative of 2019 ASEAN-China Governors/Mayors’ Dialogue after the discussion.

Photographed by Liu Lu