Philippine Ambassador and Permanent Representative to ASEAN Elizabeth P. Buensuceso co-chaired the 20^th ASEAN-China Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) Meeting on 9 April 2019 at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta.

As country coordinator of ASEAN-China dialogue relations in the “Jakarta Channel”, Ambassador Buensuceso led the JCC meeting in cooperation with China’s Ambassador to ASEAN Huang Xilian. The Meeting was also attended by all Permanent Representatives of all ASEAN Member States and officials from the ASEAN Secretariat. 

“ASEAN and China partnership will continue to grow from strength to strength for the benefit of both sides and for the region,” Ambassador Buensuceso emphasized. “ASEAN and China must realize that as strategic stakeholders in the evolving regional architecture, their partnership must always remain stable, notwithstanding differences in some political and security issues, to ensure peace, stability and prosperity in the region.”

The JCC discussed developments in ASEAN and China, progress in the implementation of ASEAN-China collaborative projects and initiatives, follow ups to the decisions of Leaders and Ministers in 2018, and preparations for high-level meetings this year, including the ASEAN-China Foreign Affairs Ministers’ Meeting in August and the 22^nd ASEAN-China Summit in November.

The annual Ambassador-level JCC is one of at least 47 ASEAN-China mechanisms in the political-security, economic, socio-cultural and people-to-people exchange platforms.

Ambassador Huang noted the important role played by the “Jakarta Channel” in drafting the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership Vision 2030 last year. He announced that China will soon establish in Jakarta a project management team that will ensure the efficient management and implementation of projects under the ASEAN-China Cooperation Fund (ACCF).

The ASEAN-China partnership was established in 1991. Both sides agreed to elevate their dialogue relations to strategic partnership in 2003.