The 2025 ASEAN-Oriented Cultural Exchange and Cooperation Forum was held in Liuzhou, Guangxi, China earlier today, 18th August.
Revolving around the theme Museums and Future of Cities, the event was a joint initiative of the Bureau of International Exchange and Cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, P.R. China and the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
That said, the forum closely addressed the timely topic of people-to-people interaction and cultural exchanges between China and ASEAN.
Key themes for 2025
This year’s forum centred on two topics for thematic discussion: Conservation of Industrial Heritage and Innovative Urban Tourism Experiences and Integration of Digital Technologies and Museums for In-Depth Development.
Through keynote speeches and special presentations, participants engaged in extensive and in-depth sharing and discussions from various dimensions of theoretical research and applied practice.
A total of 18 prominent experts and scholars from ASEAN countries and host China representing the fields of cultural heritage and museum management contributed their insights from angles including cultural policy, heritage management, research trends, and practical experience, reaching numerous joint conclusions.
At the forum, the Asia-Pacific Alliance of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and the Liuzhou Industrial Museum of China also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperative Research on the Conservation of Industrial Heritage and Sustainable Development.
Aimed at building an international platform to jointly study paths for the conservation, activation, and sustainable development of industrial heritage and cities, this agreement marks a solid step forward in cooperation within this field.
On the occasion of the forum, key guests also attended the Guangxi Night 2025 Guangxi (Liuzhou) Inbound Tourism Promotion Conference and visited cultural and tourism venues such as Baili Liujiang River Scenic Area (Night Cruise on the Liujiang River), Liuzhou Industrial Museum, Liuzhou Bauhinia Cultural and Creative Corridor, Luosifen Industrial Park, and SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Base for inspection and research.
Through on-site visits and hands-on experiences, they deepened their understanding of these locations and the manner by which they are managed, thereby boosting cultural exchange and tourism cooperation between China and ASEAN.
