Chinese VP attends 18th China-ASEAN Expo, calls for building community with shared future

Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan attends the opening ceremony of the 18th China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on Sept. 10, 2021. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

NANNING, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan attended the opening ceremony of the 18th China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit on Friday in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Speaking at the event, he called for using the platform to deepen pragmatic cooperation and advance the building of the China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

Since the establishment of dialogue relations between China and the ASEAN 30 years ago, the two sides have been promoting regional peace, stability, development and prosperity, setting an example of cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, he said.

The ASEAN enjoys a priority position within China's neighborhood diplomacy and is a key area in jointly building the Belt and Road with high quality, Wang said.

At the new starting point, "China is committed to promoting better development of bilateral ties in the next 30 years," Wang said.

He said China is willing to work the ASEAN to align the Belt and Road Initiative with ASEAN countries' development strategies to jointly foster strategic partnership of higher level, and expand economic and trade cooperation, and promote regional connectivity and economic integration, to improve the well-being of the people.

Wang also expressed China's willingness to deepen anti-pandemic cooperation, nurture new driving forces for development, and strengthen cooperation in such areas as digital economy and sustainable development, so as to promote economic recovery in the region.

China is also ready to strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation with the ASEAN to deepen mutual understanding and friendship between their peoples, he said.

China is committed to mutual opening-up that features shared benefits, shared responsibilities and shared governance, which will forge a wider market and bring more opportunities to all the countries, including the ASEAN, the vice president said.

This year's expo, scheduled until Sept. 13, is themed "sharing opportunities created by the new land-sea corridor, building the China-ASEAN community with a shared future."