Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Takehiko Nakao and People’s Republic of China (PRC) Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Vice President of the Development Research Center (DRC) Ma Jiantang met at ADB headquarters in Manila in June and discussed knowledge sharing between ADB and the PRC, and the PRC’s goal of sustainable high-quality growth.

They discussed the possibility of conducting joint knowledge work on regional cooperation, considering ADB’s long-term focus on connectivity in Central Asia and the Greater Mekong Subregion as well as across South Asia and the Pacific.

The PRC, specifically Yunnan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is one of the six countries comprising the Greater Mekong Subregion.

Last August, ADB signed a memorandum with DRC’s Center for International Knowledge on Development, which laid out a framework for building effective knowledge partnerships through research collaboration, sharing good practices, and conducting trainings and seminars.

Mr. Nakao reaffirmed ADB’s strong partnership with the PRC through lending and knowledge work. He said ADB is supporting the PRC’s priorities through initiatives such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Air Quality Improvement Project and the Yangtze River Economic Belt Projects, as well as those addressing environmental management and demographic transition.

Mr. Ma expressed his appreciation for DRC’s continued work with ADB on policy research and studies. Mr. Nakao said ADB and DRC can cooperate on the Belt and Road Initiative, with due considerations for issues such as economic feasibility and debt sustainability.

Mr. Ma also gave a lecture titled “The Challenges of Achieving High Quality Growth in the PRC,” as part of the ADB Asia Development Policy Lecture Series, which attracted about 100 people at ADB headquarters.

Read the news release at ADB.org.