General

The 19th China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit recently opened in Nanning, Guangxi. International observers believe that with the CAEXPO as a window, the outside world has witnessed the continuous release of vitality and fruitful results of China-ASEAN cooperation. In the first year of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) coming into force, China and ASEAN have ushered in new opportunities for international trade and investment cooperation, and regional economic integration has injected new momentum.

The charm of the platform is increasingly prominent

Since it was successfully held in 2004, the CAEXPO has increasingly become an important platform for dialogue and cooperation between China and ASEAN. The total exhibition area of this year's CAEXPO is 102,000 square meters. For the first time, the ASEAN and RCEP boutique exhibition areas have been set up, attracting more than 1,600 companies to participate in the exhibition, and about 2,000 companies "cloud" to participate in the exhibition, giving full play to the role of exchange platform and dialogue window.

Walking into the exhibition hall, there are dazzling array of special products from various countries, and the booth is full of people. "This is the third time I have participated in the China-ASEAN Expo, and the exhibition site is very lively!" Caroline, a Filipino businessman engaged in skin care products trade, hopes to introduce high-quality Philippine products to the Expo through platforms such as the China International Import Expo, the Service Trade Fair, and the China-ASEAN Expo. Chinese consumers.

Chen Liangjun, vice chairman of the Guangxi Federation of Thailand, said that since the first CAEXPO, the association has organized Thai companies to participate in the exhibition every year. The CAEXPO has injected a driving force into the economic and trade exchanges between China and ASEAN and the construction and development of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area.

Malaysia is the country of honor of this year's CAEXPO, and participating companies are involved in food and beverage, health care, oil and gas and other fields. Mustafa, CEO of the Malaysian External Trade Development Agency, said recently that despite the raging new crown epidemic, Malaysian companies are still actively participating in this CAEXPO and look forward to establishing close and long-term business relationships with Chinese companies.

Over the past 18 years, CAEXPO has become increasingly attractive as a platform in terms of connecting regions and promoting cooperation. So far, it has attracted about 1.015 million merchants to participate in the exhibition, which has contributed to the construction of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area and the “Belt and Road” project.

ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Ngok Hui said: "The CAEXPO is crucial for strengthening business networks and regional connectivity among companies, international traders and investors in the region."

RCEP Dividend Resonance

Over the past 18 years, CAEXPO has always focused on the purpose of promoting China-ASEAN friendly cooperation, committed to building platforms, smoothing channels, enhancing exchanges, and expanding cooperation, and constantly stimulated the vitality of cooperation under the effect of the RCEP policy.

This year is the first year of the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership, and also the first year for the RCEP to take effect. The theme of this year's China-ASEAN Expo is "Sharing New Opportunities of RCEP and Boosting China-ASEAN Free Trade Area Version 3.0", with far more international trade cooperation projects signed by all parties than in 2021.

Since the implementation of RCEP, connectivity has continued to advance, trade dividends have been continuously released, and the quality of economic and trade investment has been upgraded. According to data from the General Administration of Customs of China, in the first eight months of this year, China's imports and exports to ASEAN increased by 14% year-on-year. During the same period, China's imports and exports with the other 14 RCEP member countries increased by 7.5% year-on-year.

"The results achieved by RCEP are real." Takashi Kajiuchi, chairman of the Shanghai Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said when he participated in activities related to the China-ASEAN Expo, RCEP is an important tool for revitalizing regional economic activities.

From January to April this year alone, the total value of Thai exporters applying for certificates of origin under the RCEP framework reached US$204 million; in terms of imports using the RCEP preferential policies, the total value of imported goods in Thailand exceeded US$70 million.

Ah Songsi, an associate professor at the School of Economics, Thammasat University, Thailand, believes that RCEP member countries share the dividends of preferential policies, improve trade facilitation, and promote economic, trade and investment growth, demonstrating the pragmatic cooperation results brought by RCEP.

Remarkable results of regional cooperation

As a cooperation platform between China and ASEAN, the CAEXPO and the summit have held high-level forums in more than 40 fields including interconnection, production capacity, customs, and finance over the years. A number of projects such as the Intermodal Transport Alliance have been implemented, witnessing the completion of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, China and ASEAN becoming each other's largest trading partners, and the implementation of RCEP.

Observers believe that the cooperation between China and ASEAN not only stimulates greater development potential, but also injects new momentum into regional economic integration.

Junichiro Nakazuka, General Representative of Mitsubishi Corporation East Asia, said that although the epidemic has not yet ended, the import and export volume of RCEP member countries continued to grow, showing the resilience of regional economic development and the positive role of RCEP in consolidating regional supply chains.

Zhang Songsheng, executive chairman of the Singapore-based Pacific Shipping Group, believes that the industries of RCEP member countries are highly complementary, which will help expand trade cooperation between the Asia-Pacific regions and improve the security, stability and openness of the regional industrial chain and supply chain. RCEP will also be a key driver in enhancing international trade flows.

Song Hailiang, chairman of China Energy Construction Group Co., Ltd., said that from the co-construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative in ASEAN countries to the entry into force of RCEP, the China-ASEAN Expo has witnessed that China-ASEAN relations have gradually become the most successful and dynamic in Asia-Pacific regional cooperation. model.