A

fter an initial high-level China-ASEAN people-to-people dialog held in Nanning in the Chinese autonomous region of Guangxi Zhuang two years ago, leaders, scholars, politicians, think tanks, the business community and representatives of NGOs from the two regions will regroup this weekend in Nusa Dua, Bali.

Shi Guohui, deputy secretary-general of the China NGO Network for International Exchanges (CNIE), the cosponsor of the event, said Tuesday the second biennial talks were expected to agree on the formation of an NGO network that will help maintain mutual understanding and cooperation between civil society groups from the two regions.

One of the main responsibilities of the network will be to plan and organize the rotating dialog in the future, Shi said.

'€œThere is a need for a permanent mechanism and permanent organizing committee of the dialog. The NGO network will facilitate sharing of information and understanding among peoples, which can take forms in cooperation, seminars and workshops,'€ he said.

The upcoming dialog will be hosted by the CNIE and the ASEAN Foundation. The CNIE, in general consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC), is the largest NGO consortium in China, overseeing 45 group members.

About 200 participants are expected to attend the Bali gathering at the International Convention Center, which will be divided into two plenary sessions for discussion, plus a business community symposium and a round-table discussion involving the CNIE and its ASEAN partners that will address the role of civil society groups in promoting China and ASEAN cooperation.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong will deliver a keynote speech at the opening of the event on Sunday.

The dialog is an institutionalized platform for exchanges and cooperation between Chinese NGOs and their Southeast Asian counterparts. Shi said the forum was aimed at deepening mutual understanding and friendship between the people of China and Southeast Asian countries, facilitating practical people-to-people cooperation and promoting peace, development and prosperity in East Asia.

The inaugural event, attended by 500 participants, emphasized joint efforts to boost development through peace deals and cooperation. The second will address, among other things, China'€™s development strategy and framework of one belt and one road.

Shi said a regular people-to-people dialog was of interest to both China and ASEAN due to a lack of knowledge and understanding on each other. '€œThe old stereotype of China, for example, needs to be corrected through communication among people from the two sides,'€ he said.

The dialog, he added, would not restrict the topics that have sparked controversy and regional tension like the South China Sea, but they would be discussed in a peaceful atmosphere. '€œThe gathering is not an appropriate forum to quarrel,'€ he said.