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China-Asean Expo can boost Chinese investment in Laos
Next year's China-Asean Expo will be a strong opportunity for Laos to attract Chinese investment, an event organiser has said.
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| Representatives of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry ( left ) meet with China-Asean Expo delegates in Vientiane yesterday. |
Vice Secretary General of the regional expo, Mr Nong Rong, made the comment yesterday while meeting with representatives of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vientiane.
The meeting aimed to discuss cooperation between the two organisations in preparing for the next expo at the end of 2012. The expo will be held in Nanning, China, in October.
Production and Trade Promotion Department Acting Director General, Mr Somvang Ninthavong, led Lao delegates at the meeting.
Mr Rong said the China-Asean Expo organising committee would help Laos to attract Chinese investment to boost economic growth in the landlocked nation. The committee could also help Laos to secure markets in China, which has the largest number of consumers in the world.
He said wooden furniture and handicrafts are among the best selling Lao products in China. The organising committee would allocate a more visible location for Lao booths at the expo so they would attract the attention of visitors from China and other Asean nations, Mr Rong said.
“We will give Lao businesses a good place that expo visitors can easily locate to view Lao products.”
The organising committee would increase opportunities for leaders and businesspeople from China and Asean to meet and discuss cooperation in trade and investment so that dialogue partners could enhance economic ties, he added.
Mr Rong said the organising committee hoped Lao leaders would be able to attend the China-Asean Expo.
The organising committee would also provide free meals and accommodation for Lao businesspeople planning to import Chinese goods during the expo.
According to the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, there were 100 Lao exhibitors at last year's expo. Lao businesses consider the annual event to be a great opportunity to advertise their products and seek business partners who will export their goods to China and Asean nations.
Chinese businesspeople have expressed considerable interest in Lao products, notably wooden furniture, handicrafts, coffee and tea.
The expo was proposed by the Chinese Prime Minister at the 7th China-Asean Summit held in 2003.
The first China-Asean Expo was held in November 2007 in Nanning, China, in line with the Chinese government's policy to boost trade, investment and economic cooperation between the two dialogue partners after they agreed to the regional free trade agreement. More than 1,500 businesses from China and Asean attended the event.
vientiane times
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