On 21 March, 2012, H.E. Ambassador Yang Houlan met with Mr. Ahmed Saleem, the New Secretary General of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The two sides exchanged their views on the issues such as China-SAARC cooperation, etc.

Ambassador Yang firstly conveyed the message from H.E. Mr. Yang Jiechi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of China to Mr. Saleem for congratulating on his assuming the office of the Secretary General of SAARC. Ambassador Yang said that as an observer of SAARC, China wishes to strengthen the cooperation with SAARC in all areas. He believed that with Mr. Saleem's taking office, the cooperative relations between China and SAARC will be further promoted.

Mr. Saleem highly appreciated China's contributions and assistance to the development of the members of SAARC, and expressed his satisfaction to the progress of the exchanges and cooperation between SAARC and China. Mr. Saleem said that China is the friendly neighbor of South Asia. SAARC attaches great importance to the role of China, and expects to continue to deepen the cooperation with China in various areas.