China-ASEAN Expo concludes in resounding success

A major China-ASEAN trade promotion event came to an end in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Saturday, with officials seeing tangible results in building a closer community with a shared future.

The 21st China-ASEAN Expo yielded substantial results in promoting a close China-ASEAN community with a shared future, accelerating the launch of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0, and deepening people-to-people exchanges, said Wei Zhaohui, secretary-general of the China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) Secretariat.

"Leaders from China and abroad have spoken highly of the expo as a crucial platform for promoting China-ASEAN exchanges and cooperation, with senior officials and entrepreneurs acknowledging its role in facilitating regional development," Wei said at the closing news conference.

Between Tuesday and Saturday, the 21st China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (CABIS) were held.

This year's expo has an exhibition area of 200,000 square meters and brought together 3,300 companies.

As of 2 pm Saturday, it had recorded 220,000 visits. A total of 63 economic and trade events and 45 tourism-related activities were held in Nanning and Guilin, respectively, according to Wei.

Malaysia was the Country of Honor this year. Agreements worth nearly 43 billion yuan ($6.13 billion) were reached under the China-Malaysia "Two Countries, Twin Parks" project.

Starting this year, the CAEXPO Bluebook: Vision on China-ASEAN Economic and Trade Cooperation will be launched each year to analyze new business opportunities, Wei said.

A two-year program will be offered to the first batch of 30 selected young talent under the expo's new China-ASEAN Young Leaders Growth Program, she said.

In the inaugural China-ASEAN Expo Exhibit-awarding Ceremony, a total of 60 products were selected out of over 4,000 exhibits. They will be displayed at the permanent exhibition hall in the expo.

Wei said Guangxi's vocational training and traditional Chinese medicine were among the highlights in the expo's new section to celebrate the 2024 China-ASEAN Year of People-to-People Exchanges.

Wei also commended the cultural gift exchange campaign held by China Daily's booth at the International Sister Cities section because she said it helped enhance mutual understanding.

As for the CABIS, Liu Shuyi, deputy secretary-general of CABIS Secretariat, said the summit has successfully promoted closer cooperation of the industrial and business sector in China and ASEAN.

Liu cited key achievements such as the launch of a Nanning initiative to promote the resilience of regional supply chain, and the unveiling of the China-ASEAN Commercial Arbitration Cooperation Center.

Referring to the sideline event ASEAN-Plus Three Industrial Chain and Supply Chain Partnering Conference, Liu said nearly 400 high-profile delegates attended the conference, while more than 5,000 companies participated in different business matching activities, resulting in more than 200 potential collaborations amounting to over $2.7 billion.

The 22nd CAEXPO is tentatively scheduled on Sept 17-21, with Myanmar as the Country of Honor and Guilin as the City of Charm, according to the expo's secretariat.