Expo builds lasting bond between China, ASEAN

Exhibitors showcase Thai handicraft works during the China-ASEAN Expo last year. Huo Yan / China Daily

It has been nearly a decade since China and the ASEAN first established a strategic partnership.

Founded as a platform for exchanges between the two sides, the China-ASEAN Expo is also celebrating its 10th anniversary.

Together, China and ASEAN form the fastest-growing and most economically vigorous region in the world. During the process, the China-ASEAN Expo has played an important role as a platform for strategic cooperation and promoting economic, trade and human ties.

The expo builds on the foundations of the inter-governmental cooperation agreement to promote practical cooperation among enterprises.

The success of the strategic partnership and the China-ASEAN Expo has led the way for common development of developing countries as they struggle to navigate the pitfalls of a tumultuous economic order.

Leaders from 11 countries signed the joint declaration on the China-ASEAN strategic partnership in 2003.

When the agreement was signed, Nanning, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, was designated as the host city of the China-ASEAN Expo. The first expo was held in the following year in Nanning, ushering bilateral practical cooperation into a new era.

The expo has remained closely connected to the goals of bilateral cooperation over the past decade. As one of the most important platforms for dialogue among political leaders, businessmen and cultural experts, the expo has made great contributions to the development of the strategic partnership.

Each expo organizes meetings among leaders of various fields.

The dialogue promotes mutual understanding and political trust, which further deepens the strategic partnership and creates a favorable political environment for friendly bilateral cooperation.

Chinese leaders attach great importance to the expo. Top State officials, including Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Wang Qishan, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Zeng Qinghong, Wu Yi and Zeng Peiyan, have attended in the past.

President Xi emphasized at the ninth expo that the forum should bring tangible benefits to entrepreneurs and people from both sides and play an increasingly important role in strengthening China-ASEAN cooperation.

Former President Hu Jintao also said: "The expo should have its characteristics and generate actual effects."

U Thein Sein, the former head of state of Myanmar said the expo is essential to strengthening bilateral in trade and other areas."The ASEAN nations attach significance to the annual event," he said at the ninth expo.

Cambodian Premier Samdech Hun Sen has participated in the expo for six times consecutively. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has also given presentations at the expo many times.

"The scale of the China-ASEAN Expo grows larger and larger every year and its achievements are greater each year as well," he said.

The establishment of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area in 2010 has brought new development opportunities for China and ASEAN. The expo opens convenient channels for two-way circulation of products from China and ASEAN and lets enterprises from all 11 countries enjoy the benefits of the FTA.

The exhibits of ASEAN enterprises mainly focus on palm oil, rubber, minerals, foods, agricultural products, household products, artwork and jewelries, consumer goods, products for outdoor travel, and environmental protection.

These exhibits attract large numbers of Chinese enterprises and increase the influence of ASEAN enterprises.

Specialty products from ASEAN nations, such as coffee, durian products, jewelry and rubber come into the Chinese market in large amounts through expo.

ASEAN enterprises are often drawn to the exhibits of Chinese companies, which generally tend to feature mechanical equipment, electrical products, building materials, agricultural products and light industrial products.

The promotional conferences and roundtable conferences of investment in the expo help to form strong joint forces from bilateral parties.

The expo has also facilitated the speedy development of the China-ASEAN Industrial Park and the Dongxing National Key Development and Trial Zone in Guangxi, creating new opportunities for practical cooperation with these major projects.

The expo creates a lot of business opportunities in the fields of finance, tourism, logistics and information technology outsourcing while cultivating new growth points for bilateral cooperation.

The expo has presented 93 featured cities from 11 countries and strengthened city-to-city cooperation on a basis of state cooperation.

At the expo, an internal coordination mechanism at the levels of state, province, department and industry in the 11 countries has been constructed. The partnerships between Chinese provinces and cities, and their ASEAN counterparts have become more efficient and focused in various fields and industries.

Fast track

China-ASEAN trade volume has grown by leaps and bounds in the past 10 years and is the impetus for the China-ASEAN FTA.

In 2004, when the first China-ASEAN Expo was held, bilateral trade volume stood at $100 billion. It grew to $200 billion in 2007 and surpassed $400 billion in 2102. By the end of 2012 the mutual investment between China and ASEAN had hit $100.7 billion.

The expo also creates a space for bilateral cooperation in environmental protection, customs, inspection and quarantine, finance, ports and logistics.

At the last expo in 2012, a high-level dialogue mechanism in many fields was established.

The forums on some specific fields deepen bilateral cooperation and some are training projects offered, such as training in public welfare causes related to women and children causes and mining industries.

The ongoing 10th expo will demonstrate the achievements of China-ASEAN strategic partnership in the past decade.