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China-Asean Expo seeks to enhance regional trade
The 8th China-Asean Expo (CAEXPO) will highlight the fruits of bilateral cooperation, strengthen existing co-sponsoring mechanisms and adopt more innovative measures to achieve richer economic outcomes.
China's Minister of Commerce Chen Deming said the upcoming expo will be a vital component of the commemorative events arranged for the 20th anniversary of China-Asean dialogue relations and is thus of special significance.
He was speaking at a meeting held recently by the CAEXPO and the China-Asean Business and Investment Summit Organising Committee (CABIS).
Officials from 15 ministries and the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, which is the host province of these two major events, attended the meeting held in Beijing on August 24. Participants said they will pool all needed resources to ensure the events are successful.
The Chinese government attaches great importance to the expo, according to the CAEXPO Secretariat.
Mr Chen said the CAEXPO, as a unique trade fair co-sponsored by China and the 10 Asean member states and held permanently in China, has become a mechanism for bilateral cooperation in political, diplomatic and trade fields. The event has been held successfully for seven consecutive years and has shaped effective working mechanisms, greatly promoted bilateral friendship and mutual trust, as well as win-win cooperation.
The 8th CAEXPO, as an important event for commemorating the 20th anniversary of China-Asean dialogue relations, is of great importance. He requested that the upcoming expo showcase the rich fruits of bilateral cooperation, enhance co-sponsoring mechanisms and adopt more innovative measures to gain better trade outcomes.
What is more, better pla nning and design should be implemented for exhibition contents and major events to create more highlights and thus ensure a more successful expo with more unique features and more pragmatic outcomes.
Currently, preparations for the event are proceeding as scheduled.
The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the event organiser, has announced that the expo will have three venues - Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Centre as the main venue, Guangxi Exhibition Hall as the venue of the Agricultural Exhibition, and South China City (Nanning) as the venue of the newly-added Light Industrial Products Exhibition.
Chinese and Asean enterprises are showing high enthusiasm for participating in the event as exhibitors. Businesses from Asean countries and the Asean Secretariat have already reserved 1,407 booths, 19.4 percent more than last year. Six countries have confirmed they will charter an exclusive exhibition hall to accommodate their own commodity hall, including Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
The expo's theme will be environmental protection cooperation and a forum will be held on this topic. Nine more major forums on finance, quality inspection and quarantine, drug safety, mass sports, cultural industry, publishing, population and development will also be arranged during the fair period.
The CAEXPO, which is co-sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce of Indonesia, the Ministry of Commerce of China and their counterparts in other Asean member countries, as well as the Asean Secretariat, is the only state-level international grand trade event that is focussed on the China-Asean FTA.
It covers commodity trade, investment cooperation and trade in services and has been successfully held for seven years, producing rich outcomes and shaping an important platform for China-Asean friendly exchanges, trade promotion and bilateral cooperation in various fields.
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