After more than one hour of exchanges and interactions with netizens, the mayor gave his conclusion on today's online discussion.

Wang: The effect of the online exchange with netizens was unexpected. We now know that plenty of netizens pay a lot of attention to the development of a deeper cooperation between Zhanjiang and ASEAN and they also aspire for Zhanjiang to become a better pivot city.

Netizens and I had an extensive and deep discussion on the topic. Jack Tchen, chairman of the Economic and Trade Development Commission for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in Thailand, also talked to me about the topic on the phone. He expressed the strong desire of ASEAN countries, including Thailand, for a closer exchange and cooperation with Zhanjiang.

Representatives from major media outlets in China paid much attention to our discussion and they posed some thought-provoking questions.

The discussion has taken place just in time to spread the sense of urgency for deepening ASEAN cooperation among us and to step up our push for further development of ASEAN cooperation. We all hold high expectations of the cooperation for its promising future.

The online discussion mainly carried three aims.

First, it highlights the deep ASEAN cooperation, themed on the Maritime Silk Road cooperation according to the national Belt and Road Initiative and on the construction of a pivot city for Zhanjiang.

Second, it aims to reach a consensus on the open development of ASEAN cooperation via extensive and deep interactions.

Third, it consolidates our confidence in the development direction of ASEAN cooperation and encourages us to make joint efforts to boost the national Belt and Road Initiative.

I'd like to summarize what I have discussed during the online exchange into three aspects, including Zhanjiang's opportunities, advantages, measures, highlights and practices related to ASEAN cooperation.

First, Zhanjiang's primary choice to facilitate its opening-up development is to deepen ASEAN cooperation.

Geographic and historic conditions have provided advantages in this aspect. Zhanjiang is close to most ASEAN countries and shares similar culture with them. The century-long economic and trade partnership between Zhanjiang and ASEAN provides no cultural or transportation obstacles for their exchanges and cooperation.

Moreover, there are many advantages for Zhanjiang to deepen ASEAN cooperation. As one of the first group of coastal cities opening to the outside of China, Zhanjiang boasts a similar or better development level, compared to some ASEAN countries. Zhanjiang is rich in talents, technologies, management and funds, which are in need for ASEAN.

The new national opening pattern has also provided good opportunities for Zhanjiang to deepen ASEAN cooperation. After being listed as one of the 15 pivot cities belonging to the Belt and Road Initiative, Zhanjiang is embracing an unprecedented opportunity for development.

Zhanjiang's development is also in line with the national new development concept. (The concept was made during China's Fifth Plenary Session of 18th CPC Central Committee on Oct 26-29, 2015. It mainly highlights the development from five aspects, namely, innovation, coordination, opening-up, green and sharing. CPC represents the Communist Party of China.)

The frequent exchanges between the leaders of China's central government and of ASEAN countries provide us a good international environment to deepen ASEAN cooperation. The strong desire of ASEAN countries to cooperate with China is obvious and Zhanjiang has great potential to cooperate with them.

A solid foundation for the cooperation between Zhanjiang and ASEAN has taken shape. We have conducted a dozen exchanges and cooperation projects with ASEAN and have made breakthroughs in some advantageous fields. We have also established several cooperative platforms.

Now we should seize the opportunity to stand firmly on our development direction to deepen ASEAN cooperation and to raise Zhanjiang's development to a higher level.

Second, we should deepen ASEAN cooperation through focusing on projects and we should build some sample projects, platforms and enterprises. To accelerate the completion and inspection of the Zhanjiang bonded logistics center (Type B) is beneficial to the construction of windows and advantageous platforms for ASEAN cooperation.

We should make constant efforts toward the success of aquatic expositions and marine economy expos to spread the influence of Zhanjiang to wider audiences. We will strive to build the Guangdong (Fenyong) ASEAN Industrial Park and the Sino-Indonesia (Zhanjiang) Industrial Park, according to the principles of Two Countries and Two Parks.

A couple of projects are also among top priorities for our work, such as the acceleration of the Zhanjiang-ASEAN Agricultural Products Wholesale and Exhibition Center and the construction of the South Sea Valley.

Third, government authorities are of great importance to deepen ASEAN cooperation. Under the principles of "bring in" and "going out", we will spare no efforts to deepen the cooperation. It is two-way and can achieve a win-win result even though the challenges are big. We should give the leading role of the Zhanjiang local government a chance to establish the two-way exchanges between different governments and talents.

We should rely on the local relevant associations to provide a satisfactory bilateral service. We will also strive to promote the mutual trust and understandings between Zhanjiang and ASEAN to improve our leadership for a deeper ASEAN cooperation.

With the overall economy entering into "New Normal", Zhanjiang will give its best to the advantages to deepen ASEAN cooperation and spare no efforts to build itself into a better pivot city for the new-type Maritime Silk Road cooperation to make special constructions to the national Belt and Road Initiative.