On August 6st, the 2nd ASEAN-China People-to-People Friendship Organization Leaders’ Meeting and the 6th ASEAN-China Youth Cultural Exchange Festival were held in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. Ms. Gu Xiulian, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the 10th National People's Congress, President of the China-ASEAN Association, and Director of the China Cares for the Next Generation Working Committee, announced the opening ceremony. Mr. Yin Li, Vice Secretary of Sichuan Provincial Committee of the CPC and Sichuan Provincial People’s Government, and Mr. Korn Dabbaransi, former Thai Deputy Prime Minister and President of the Thailand-China Friendship Association, attended and delivered speeches.　

　　On behalf of the China-ASEAN Association, Ms. Gu Xiulian extended her warm congratulations on the inauguration of the ASEAN-China People-to-People Friendship Organization Leaders’ Meeting and the Youth Cultural Exchange Festival. Ms. Gu Xiulian said that this year marks the 15th anniversary of ASEAN-China strategic partnership and the ASEAN-China Innovation Year. It is the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up and the beginning of the second 50-year of ASEAN, and also the 5th anniversary of the "Belt and Road Initiative ". She hoped that delegates and young friends at the meeting can bear in mind the overall background and the big environment to unite public consensus, enhance mutual understanding, deepen people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, build a foundation for public opinion, mesh non-governmental economic cooperation with service strategies, guide young generations to innovation and foster successors for the friendship cause, so as to promote the building of a closer community with a common future between China and ASEAN, making their people-to-people friendship more innovative and exuberant.

　　Mr. Yin Li welcomed the guests on behalf of the Sichuan Provincial People's Government and the its people. He said that in recent years, ASEAN-China strategic partnership has continued to develop, and cooperation between Sichuan and ASEAN has been further expanded and deepened. The ASEAN-China People-to-People Friendship Organization Leaders’ Meeting and the Youth Cultural Exchange Festival held in Sichuan will further promote China and ASEAN to build a closer community with a common future, as well as create favorable conditions for win-win cooperation and common development between Sichuan and ASEAN, and for interactions among the youth. Sichuan is willing to share the opportunities of the “Belt and Road” construction with all parties in ASEAN, and actively build platforms, create conditions and provide services for investment and trade cooperation between the enterprises in the two places in the fields of infrastructure, industrial park construction and digital economy, tourism and modern agricultural development. Sichuan warmly welcomes young friends from ASEAN to come to Sichuan and carry out various cultural exchanges which will effectively enhance the cultural resonance of their peoples and foster a foundation for friendly development. In this way, a higher level of ASEAN-China strategic partnership will be forged jointly.

　　On behalf of the leaders of non-governmental organizations in the 10 ASEAN countries, Mr. Dabbaransi said that he is looking forward to exchanging views and ideas on how to achieve the common goal of maintaining peace and prosperity in the region during the ASEAN-China People-to-People Friendship Organization Leaders’ Meeting. Every member of the ASEAN–China Free Trade Area should be proud of the achievements we have made in the past 15 years. These achievements have contributed to maintaining the friendship and harmony among more than 2 billion people in China and ASEAN countries.

　　The event was co-sponsored by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the People's Government of Sichuan Province. Themed on "Sharing Development Experiences, Meshing Service Strategies, and Building a Community with a Common Future Between China and its Neighboring Countries" and "Innovation Leads Development, Youth the Future", this activity aims to further deepen the friendship between China and ASEAN and promote exchanges and cooperation between the two in various fields and in all directions. During the event, three plenary sessions, local exchanges, youth forums, closing ceremonies and friendly exchange nights will be held.

　　Ms. Lin Yi, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and Mr. Liu Jie, Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Sichuan Provincial People's Congress, attended the ceremony.

　　Before the event, Ms. Gu Xiulian met with leaders of non-governmental organizations in the 10 ASEAN countries.