Chronology of the International Cooperation Center (Excerpts)
In April 2023, before the China-Central Asia Summit, the International Cooperation Center (ICC) held a symposium on the Belt and Road and China-Central Asia cooperation and development in Beijing. Chen Jinxing, Deputy Head of the Committee on Social and Legal Affairs of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the first Chairman of the China Committee of the Silk Road Business Council and former Chairman of China Datang Corporation, attended the symposium.
In March 2023, in Beijing the executives of the ICC met with Ngaire Woods, founding Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government, former Advisor to the European Union and member of the International Advisory Panel of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. They attended the closed-door symposium held by the ICC.
In March 2023, before the visit of French President Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to China, the ICC hosted a symposium on China-Europe Strategic Dialogue and Mutually Beneficial Cooperation in the Hall of Crane at Beijing International Club (the former press room of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Ma Shengrong, former Vice President and Executive Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Xinhua News Agency attended the symposium and delivered a speech.
In December 2022, a symposium on China-U.S. relations and the world landscape (China-U.S. Summit at the University of Maryland) supported by the ICC was successfully held at the University of Maryland. J. Stapleton Roy, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, Deng Zhaoxiang, founder of the Committee of 100, Wayne Silby, founder of Calvert Investments, the largest socially responsible investment company in the U.S., and other American guests attended the symposium.
In November 2022, the 17th G20 Leaders’ Summit was held in Bali, Indonesia. Li Xiaoyi, Special Representative of the Chinese and Foreign Business Committee of the ICC, was invited to attend the G20 Business Summit in Bali.
In September 2022, before the International Forum on Resilient and Stable Industrial and Supply Chains, the ICC held closed-door seminars on “Global Industrial Chain Supply Chain Security Situation and China's Countermeasures” and “China-Philippines Economic and Trade Cooperation and Development” in the Hall of Crane at Beijing International Club. Chen Fengying, Director of the Institute of World Economy of the China Institute of Modern International Relations, and Albert P. Dela Cruz, Vice-Ministerial-Level Official of the Office of the President of the Philippines and Director of the Philippine National Oil Company, attended and addressed the two seminars respectively.
In August 2022, with the support of relevant state departments, the Steering Committee of the ICC and China Group Companies Association (CGCA) established a strategic collaboration mechanism, in which the two sides will form a close cooperative relationship in political advice, theoretical innovation, public opinion guidance, social services, public diplomacy, and the protection of overseas interests of state-owned enterprises, so as to jointly serve the state.
In June 2022, the ICC released an international public information film “Sense the Temperature of the World” in Times Square, New York. Taking the city scenery of the various continents as the background, the film is aimed to draw people’s attention to the global socioeconomic issues under the interplay of multiple factors such as climate change, regional conflicts, food crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic by showing the city landmarks and human landscapes in spring, summer, autumn and winter. The official website of the Cyberspace Administration of China, Xinhuanet and Haiwainet covered the release.
In January and early February 2022, through a comprehensive study the expert group of the Steering Committee of the ICC predicted that the Russian-Ukrainian crisis will break out when the temperature drops to the freezing point in the border areas of Russia and Ukraine from February 15 to 30, 2023. In early March, the expert group recommended that the parties concerned should pay great attention to the European safety issues facing the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
In December 2021, the Public Diplomacy Department of the Secretariat of the ICC opened its permanent office and conference hall at NO.21 Jianguomenwai Avenue in Beijing.
In May 2021, the Steering Committee of the ICC established a working mechanism with the China Institute of Strategy and Management (CISM). The leaders of the ICC were invited to attend a closed-door seminar on “the Critical Situation of the International Financial Game and China's Countermeasures” organized by CISM.
From January to May 2020, the members of the Joint Council of the ICC paid close attention to the COVID-19 pandemic situation at home and abroad, actively participated in emergency relief, and mobilized domestic and overseas resources to make donations. They have handled a number of emergency consular protection actions in Wuhan, Hubei, London, Ecuador, Quito, and New York.
In January 2020, the expert group of the Steering Committee of the ICC submitted the “Inner Guide” to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee and the Secretariat of the CPC central committee respectively in response to the global outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting timely study and evaluation of the pandemic and pushing forward the work related to overseas Chinese and international students.
In November 2019, the leaders of the ICC met with Princess Tengku Faizwa Razif of Malaysia in Guangzhou. Beh Ching Chye, Consul General of Malaysia in Guangzhou, and He Jianli, former Chief Secretary of former Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC, Henry Fok Ying-tung, and former Executive Vice President of Fok Ying Tung Group, attended the meeting in Guangzhou.
In September 2019, leaders of ICC met with Tan Zhenjiang, former Researcher of the Canadian Federal Government, and Fang Wu, Vice President of the Canada International Trade Promotion Society, in Beijing. They came to China to attend the closed-door meeting on "China-Canada Economic and Trade Relations: Development and Challenges".
In June 2019, based on comprehensive assessment, the panel from ICC Steering Committee recommended comprehensive drills for the prevention and control of imported epidemic outbreak of infectious diseases in large- and medium-sized cities and ports of entry and exit through on-site collaboration and emergency response. (Note: On July 26 of the same year, the National Health Commission organized a comprehensive drill on the prevention and control of imported acute infectious diseases outbreak, with over 8,200 people participated. This was the first large-scale drill for public health emergency since the SARS outbreak in 2003.)
In April 2019, the leaders of the ICC met with Igor Kharzheev, President of the Association of Russian-Chinese Sister Cities, at Building No.5, Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.
In September 2018, the representatives of the ICC were invited to the UNESCO Partners’ Forum in Paris, where they met with Audrey Azoulay, the Director-General of UNESCO.
In July 2018, the leaders of the ICC met with Farah Jaafar, CEO of the Labuan International Business and Financial Center, in Shanghai. The two parties reached an agreement to establish a renminbi clearing center for ASEAN region on Labuan Island, the federal territory of the Government of Malaysia, so as to create a new platform for international exchanges and cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.
In May 2018, the leaders of the ICC hosted a banquet for the delegation of the American cultural and artistic community led by Bill Mechanic, the former Chairman of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (an organization that votes for the Oscar winners), at Building No.8, Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.
In September 2017, In Beijing, Zhang Chongqing, member of the ICC Strategy Advisory Committee and Honorary Chairman of the CGCA, and other leaders of the center met with Brian Egan, former Senior Legal Advisor at the White House and the U.S. State Department, as well as Edward Krauland, who served the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
In September 2017, the ICC invited the delegation led by His Highness Naquiyuddin from the royal family of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, and leaders including Long Yuxiang, member of the ICC Strategic Advisory Committee and Executive Chairman of China International Culture Communication Center, hosted a banquet for the delegation at Building No.14 of Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. General Tang Tianbiao also met with the guests.
In July 2017, through comprehensive assessment, the panel of the ICC Steering Committee predicted that the Trump administration was preparing a major trade action against China and would apply “Section 301” for investigation. (On August 14 of the same year, the U.S. President Donald Trump signed an administrative memorandum authorizing Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to review the so-called “Chinese trade practices”. On August 18, Lighthizer issued a statement indicating that he would initiate a trade investigation against China in the areas of technology transfer, intellectual property rights, and innovation under “Section 301”.)
In May 2017, members of the Strategy Advisory Committee of the ICC met with Jean Christophe Iseux, Baron von Pfetten zu St. Mariakirchen, the former UK Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva and Chairman of the Institute for East-West Strategic Studies, along with his colleagues in Beijing.
In October 2016, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, met with a special representative of the ICC Steering Committee in person in her hometown Durban, South Africa. In December, ICC leaders met with Dareed Nihous, Advisor of the Chairperson of the African Union, who made his special visit to Beijing.
In May 2016, leaders including Zhang Chongqing, member of the Strategy Advisory Committee of the center and Honorary Chairman of the CGCA, led the delegation of CGCA on a visit to Nigeria. The delegation was received by Ibrahim, member of the Nigerian Presidential Commission and Minister of State Foreign Affairs.
In January 2016, the expert group of the ICC Steering Committee recommended that the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) should refine the expressions related to network governance system in Cybersecurity Law (Draft) (recommendations in May 2015 include adding more provisions concerning “international exchanges and cooperation”). In addition, the group suggested that NPC should move content related to the national cybersecurity strategy to the general provisions with a view to embodying its importance. In July 2016, the NPC Law Committee and the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council agreed with and adopted the above suggestions.
In May 2015, the leaders of the ICC Steering Committee met with Tan Sri Rastam, Co-Chairman of Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific and Advisor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Malaysian Federal Government, who were here to attend the 6th Xiangshan Forum in Beijing.
In March 2015, under the guidance of competent national departments, the ICC established the Overseas Interests Protection Center, as well as research groups on the “Polar Silk Road”, overseas non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and crisis management.
In February 2015, referring to the “Provisional Regulations for the Administration of Foreign Chambers of Commerce in China” and the “Regulations on Funds”, the panel of the ICC Steering Committee made two recommendations to the Ministry of Public Security and the NPC Standing Committee. The first recommendation is amending the name of the law, which was under the legislative process, from the “Law on the Administration of Overseas Nongovernmental Organizations” to the “Law on the Administration of Activities of Overseas Nongovernmental Organizations in the Mainland of China”. The second is identifying the adjustments in the draft to strengthen temporary supervision of the activities of overseas NGOs in the mainland of China. Upon its second deliberation, the NPC Law Committee agreed with and adopted the above suggestions.
In January 2015, the members of the ICC Strategy Advisory Committee and the leaders of ICC Steering Committee met and exchanged views with Phinij Jarusombat, former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand and President of Thai-Chinese Cultural and Relationship Council, in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.