Seventh CAEXPO achieves success

The golden autumn is witnessing a bumper harvest. On the afternoon of Oct 24, Chen Wu, vice-co-chair and secretary general of the CAEXPO organizing committee, vice-co-chair and secretary general of the CABIS organizing committee, standing member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Guangxi Committee, and vice-governor of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region concluded the grand five-day China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) successfully. On the same afternoon, the organizing committee of the CAEXPO and the organizing committee of the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (CABIS) held a press conference in Nanning, briefing media from home and abroad on the basic conditions and achievements of the seventh CAEXPO and the seventh CABIS.

I. Maintaining a high profile like the previous CAEXPO Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference of People’s Republic of China; Boediono, vice-president of the Republic of Indonesia; Asang Laoly, vice-prime minister of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic; and Truong Vinh Trong, vice-prime minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, attended the seventh CAEXPO and seventh CABIS. Other attendees included officials at the ministerial level of trade, energy, finance of China and the 10 ASEAN countries; representatives of international organizations; heads of chambers of commerce from countries concerned; and world renowned entrepreneurs. The number of VIPs at the ministerial level participating in the events reached 191, with 53 from the ASEAN and other countries.

II. Pragmatically advancing China-ASEAN cooperation by focusing on meeting the new demands of the CAFTA

Closely focusing on the Agreement on Trade in Goods, Agreement on Trade in Services and the Agreement on Investment of the CAFTA, the seventh CAEXPO and the seventh CABIS have added new content to the events’ traditional high profile and co-sponsorship. For example, the CAEXPO has established pavilions of trade in services, jewelry and achievements of the CAFTA. By these means, the policies of trade and investment of facilitation under the CAFTA are effectively conveyed to enterprises. As a result, the seventh CAEXPO has received active responses from enterprises from home and abroad and witnessed wide participation. The ASEAN countries all organized renowned enterprises to attend the event, with the pavilion of ASEAN brand products becoming a highlight of the seventh CAEXPO. 

There are 2,200 enterprises taking part in the seventh CAEXPO as exhibitors, with the number of large and famed enterprises increasing. The planned quantity of exhibition booths cannot satisfy the needs of the applicants. A total of 4,600 exhibition booths are provided at the seventh CAEXPO, a rise of 15 percent over the last session. China (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) has 3,379 exhibition booths, and the figure for enterprises of foreign countries stands at 1,221, of which 1,178 are from the 10 ASEAN countries, all record highs. Six countries, namely Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, have chartered independent exhibition halls. All of the 10 ASEAN member countries have organized their enterprises to take part in the exhibition, with the pavilion of ASEAN brands becoming the highlight of the seventh CAEXPO. ASEAN countries have also arranged their exhibitions according to industries to highlight agricultural products, foodstuff, wood furniture, light industry, handicrafts, and jewelry, effectively enhancing the specialization of the seventh CAEXPO. The repeat participation rate of the seventh CAEXPO is high, and it is worth mentioning that the number of exhibition booths used by foreign countries is on the rise, leading other exhibitions held in China. The CAEXPO has become an important channel for enterprises from the ASEAN and beyond to develop the China market.

The trade visitors of the seventh CAEXPO total 39,130, 2 percent more than the previous session. The number of trade visitors from the US, France, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan is growing, further expanding the size of the event. 

As of 4:00 pm on October 24, the total trade volume has reached $1.71 billion, 3.5 percent higher than last year. The export volume is $1.43 billion, 12.3 percent more than last year. The export value of the ASEAN to China has increased significantly. 

Investment cooperation has been more effective and fruitful. Forty-six business promotion programs have been held at this CAEXPO, with 135 international economic cooperation projects signed with a total value of $6.69 billion, 3 percent more than the previous session. Of those, 58 projects are between China and ASEAN countries, with a total value of $2.66 billion, accounting for 43 percent and 38 percent of the total international economic cooperation projects, respectively. The number of projects is large, covering agriculture, manufacturing, trade and logistics, tourism development, mining and ore processing, infrastructure of transport and energy. They will upgrade the quality of cooperation. A total of 156 domestic economic cooperation projects have been signed with a total value of 67.45 billion yuan, 9 percent more than the previous session.

The seventh CABIS is themed “CAFTA and Prospects of Regional Economic and Trade Cooperation” and realizes deepened exchanges in various forms. Besides high-level government officials, also attending the meeting are leading figures in business, outstanding entrepreneurs, representatives of various regional organizations, renowned experts and scholars, and representatives from the media community from China, the ASEAN and other parts of the world. The summit will be a grand gathering of about 1,500 people. Concurrently, roundtable talks between ASEAN state leaders and CEOs of Chinese enterprises, the China-ASEAN summit forum of chambers of commerce, and other professional forums will be held to advance pragmatic cooperation between the two sides.

III. Forums and events held concurrently highlight the theme of “CAFTA and New Opportunities,” reflecting the common wish of all parties concerned to deepen reforms in various fields by taking advantage of the CAFTA. The seventh CAEXPO features an exhibition of CAFTA achievements, with officials from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, consulates of ASEAN countries in Nanning, and 500 representatives from all walks of life in China and the ASEAN attending the opening ceremony. The exhibition is rich and varied in content, showcasing the process, achievements, and prospects of the CAFTA in pictures, graphics, words, videos and audio. The achievements of the CAEXPO and CABIS in advancing the CAFTA are also on display. There are 330 calligraphers and painters from both sides involved in artistic creation, with 66 from ASEAN countries, accounting for 20 percent of the total. For days, the exhibition has drawn praise from visitors in the tens of thousands. 

During the seventh CAEXPO, the Nanning International Folksong and Arts Festival, golf and tennis invitation tournaments, car rally race, and contest of artistic works of young artists have enriched the exchanges of culture and sports on both sides, strengthening the friendship of China and the ASEAN.

IV. The influence of the CAEXPO and the CABIS is growing. The seventh CAEXPO and seventh CABIS have received attention from mainstream media and industry media from home and abroad. More reporters have come to cover the seventh CAEXPO, totaling 199 media outlets with 1,458 people, 39 more than last year. Of that number, 72 outlets and 106 reporters are from foreign countries (including 88 people from ASEAN press), and 16 media outlets and 41 people are from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan of China. 

Media from home and abroad have given comprehensive and multi-perspective coverage of the seventh CAEXPO and seventh CABIS. According to incomplete statistics, 5,700 news stories, 9,400 web pages, and 850,000 news reprints and webpage links online have been released by media from home and abroad in this regard.

The press conference was chaired by Jia Guoyong, deputy chief of the Bureau of Trade and Development under the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. Angel Llam, representative of the ASEAN secretariat, and Zheng Junjian, secretary general of CAEXPO secretariat, attended the press conference, as well as reporters and journalists from home and abroad.