Caexpo set to ignite trade with asean

Developing the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road will be key part of discussions, at the China-ASEAN Expo, Huo Yan reports.

The development of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road will be a highlight of this year's China-ASEAN Expo, which will be held from Sept 11 to 14 in Nanning, according to the event's organizing committee.

The annual trade and investment promotion fair between China and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which is also known as CAEXPO, will hold its 13th session this September.

The event is co-sponsored by China and the 10 ASEAN countries.

Nanning, the capital city of South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, has been the permanent host of the event since its opening session in 2004.

With the theme of Building the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, Forging an Even-Closer China-ASEAN Community of Common Destiny, the 13th CAEXPO will cover five topics: commodity trade, investment cooperation, advanced technologies, service trade and the promotion of "charming cities".

A number of high-profile forums centering on the development of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road will be held, presenting business opportunities for participating companies from both China and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

As usual, the expo is a showcase for characteristic commodities from both China and ASEAN member countries.

In the ASEAN commodities exhibition hall, products from ASEAN members including food, agricultural produce, furniture, home appliances, handicrafts and gifts, jade, rubber, minerals and palm oil will be displayed.

In addition, there will be an exhibition hall for ASEAN investment and service trade, presenting opportunities in a range of areas including industrial parks, finance, education and tourism in Southeast Asia.

Equally important is the Chinese commodities exhibition hall, where China's advanced construction machines, vehicles, food processing and packaging machines, electrical equipment, new energy products, electronics and electrical equipment and building materials, among others, will be on show.

There will also be an international exhibition area to accommodate enterprises from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP, and other foreign countries. There are now six RCEP members - China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand - that have partnerships with ASEAN, forming the socalled 10 + 6.

Advancing mutual investments between China and ASEAN in key areas of cooperation on international industrial capacity and equipment manufacturing will also be a highlight of the event, according to the organizers.

There will be a number of forums, exhibitions, bilateral talks and business matchmaking activities related to the forum's five topics.

Major investment promotional activities at the expo will include a CAEXPO investment cooperation roundtable conference, a promotional fair for industrial parks in ASEAN member countries, a China-ASEAN forum for infrastructure cooperation, a matchmaking fair for investment projects and investment promotions by the ASEAN members.

Departments of commerce from the 10 ASEAN countries will each hold 10 investment promotion seminars and ministerial officials will introduce the investment environment and favorable policies of each country to potential Chinese investors.

In order to help Chinese investors better understand the relevant policies of ASEAN countries, the expo will also launch networking events for Chinese investors with Chinese economic and commercial counselors in ASEAN countries, with the aim of helping them overcome potential investment obstacles in ASEAN nations.

There will also be a China-ASEAN agricultural cooperation exhibition for modern agricultural parks, the latest agricultural technologies, high-quality fruits and related industries including cold-chain logistics.

The advanced technologies exhibition area will display the latest technological achievements in advanced manufacturing, smart cities, internet-plus and innovations.

The service trade exhibition will highlight areas such as finance, logistics and tourism.

In the "charming cities" exhibition, selected Chinese and ASEAN cities will introduce the business opportunities they offer investors in trade, investment, tourism and culture.

Centering on the theme of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, there will be 35 forums, symposia and conferences, such as the China-ASEAN Financial Cooperation and Growth Leaders Forum, the Logistics Cooperation Forum, the Cultural Forum, the Pan-Beibu Gulf Economic Cooperation Forum and an insurance cooperation forum.

The China-ASEAN Expo will draw worldwide attention once more, as more than 170 media outlets have registered to cover the event, according to the organizers.

ASEAN members are important trade and investment partners with China, especially after the establishment in 2010 of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area - the third-largest free trade area in the world and the largest for developing economies.

Chinese statistics show that China-ASEAN trade exceeded $470 billion last year, and two-way investment amounted to more than $156 billion.

Chen Fang contributed to the story.

(China Daily 08/29/2016 page10)