ZCZC
BCN-12
CHINA-ASEAN-EXPO-TRADE-INVESTMENT
China-ASEAN Expo opens in south China
NANNING, Sept. 21, 2019 (BSS/Xinhua) – The 16th China-ASEAN Expo commenced
Saturday in Nanning, capital of south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous
Region, highlighting trade and investment among China, the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other countries participating in the Belt
and Road Initiative.
Themed “Building the Belt & Road, Realizing Our Vision for a Community of
Shared Future,” this year’s expo will lift the all-round friendly cooperation
between China and ASEAN through a sequence of exhibitions, forums and
activities to a new level.
Focusing on the China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership Vision 2030, the four-
day event will aim at facilitating cooperation and consensus among high-
profile participants from various countries and international organizations.
Exhibitions and activities at the expo are expected to promote China-ASEAN
cooperation in fields including trade, investment, digital economy, science
and technology, finance, e-commerce and tourism.
According to the organizers, 2,848 enterprises will participate in this
year’s expo to showcase their products, up 2.4 percent from the event last
year, including industry leaders, Fortune 500 companies and notable private
businesses.
The expo participants will enjoy larger exhibition areas this year, which
have expanded 10,000 square meters from last year to 134,000 square meters.
Special exhibitions on building the New International Land-Sea Trade
Corridor, Guangxi pilot free trade zone and the financial opening-up gateway
for ASEAN will also be featured at the expo to advance the implementation of
key mechanisms and projects.
The China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, a concurrent event, will
be held from Saturday to Tuesday.
The expo has boosted China-ASEAN trade since its inception in 2004. China
has expanded its exports of electronic products, construction materials,
power equipment and construction machines, as well as technology in new
energy, high-speed trains and agriculture to ASEAN member states. Chinese
buyers favor the bloc’s food, daily goods and bulk commodities.
China has remained ASEAN’s largest trading partner, with the trade between
the two increasing to 587.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2018. In the first half
of this year, bilateral import and export trade volume reached 291.85 billion
U.S. dollars, an increase of 4.2 percent year-on-year, making ASEAN China’s
second-largest trading partner.
BSS/XINHUA/HR/1225