Guests attend the China-ASEAN Cultural Heritage Dialogue in Dunhuang, Gansu province, on July 2.[Photo provided to China Daily]

　　Cultural heritage is becoming more than just a record of the past for China and ASEAN countries. The two sides are expanding cooperation beyond traditional conservation, and placing greater emphasis on digital technologies, sustainable development, creative industries and youth engagement as they seek to preserve and revitalize their shared cultural legacy.

　　That evolving partnership was at the heart of the China-ASEAN Cultural Heritage Dialogue, held in Dunhuang, Gansu province, on July 2. The event brought together around 150 heritage professionals, archaeologists, scholars, policymakers, technology experts, and youth representatives from China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Cambodia, as well as international organizations, to explore how cultural heritage can become a stronger driver of regional cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

　　The event comes as China and ASEAN celebrate the fifth anniversary of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with cultural heritage emerging as an increasingly important pillar of regional cooperation.

　　"We were never isolated from one another," said Ivan Henares, chairman of the Southeast Asian Cultural Heritage Alliance.

　　Long before modern nation-states emerged, trade, diplomacy and the exchange of knowledge connected China and Southeast Asia, shaping ports, cities, architecture and traditions across the region, he said.

Participants exchange views at the event.[Photo provided to China Daily]