The National Think Tank Network Joint Meeting on Asian Regional Cooperation was held in Guangzhou on December 21, 2017. Nearly fifty scholars from the domestic research base of the China-ASEAN Think Tank Network, the domestic research base of China-Japan-South Korea Think Tank Network, and the Trilateral Cooperation Studies Center attended the conference, which was jointly sponsored by the Institute for Asian Studies at CFAU and the Guangzhou Maritime College, Deputy Director Huang Xilian from the Department of Asian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry and Vice President Jiang Ruiping from CFAU attended the meeting and made keynote speeches. President Zou Cairong of the Guangzhou Maritime College delivered the welcome address. 

In the “keynote speech” session, Deputy Director Huang Xilian described new trends in East Asian cooperation and put forward new suggestions for research work for think tanks. Vice President Jiang Ruiping focused on exploring the six major relationships in East Asian cooperation and gave his unique insights into the topic with theoretical depth and practical significance. The attendees discussed research work completed in 2017, as well as the work plan for 2018 under the framework of the ASEAN Think Tank Network, the China-ASEAN Think Tank Network, the China-Japan-South Korea Think Tank Network, and the Trilateral Cooperation Studies Center.

The Institute of Asian Studies at CFAU is the national think-tank responsible for coordinating the other three major think-tank networks for East Asian regional cooperation. In recent years, a number of domestic research bases and research centers have been established in border and coastal provinces and cities. The coordinated development of the domestic academic community for East Asian Studies has yielded clear results. All bases and centers have their own research strengths and have cooperated with each other in providing strong intellectual support for China’s peripheral diplomacy.