China-ASEAN expo set to promote trade, investment

This photo taken on Sept 8, 2023 shows the Nanning International Conference and Exhibition Center in Nanning, South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. [Photo/Xinhua]

Premier Li Qiang will attend and address the opening ceremony of the 20th China-ASEAN Expo and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit in Nanning, in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Sunday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said. The expo aims to promote trade and investment between China and ASEAN countries.

The event comes less than two weeks after Li attended the leaders' meetings on East Asia cooperation in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. At the meetings, the premier reached important understandings with leaders of ASEAN countries on deepening cooperation between China and ASEAN and building a "peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home" together, Mao said on Thursday.

The expo is an important platform for deepening bilateral cooperation and enhancing regional economic integration, Mao said. The theme of this year's expo is, "Work Together for a Harmonious Home and a Shared Future — Promoting High-Quality Development of the Belt and Road and Building an Epicentrum of Growth".

Through this year's expo, China hopes to work with all parties to seek opportunities, meet challenges and improve the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, Mao said.

The country also hopes to further liberalize and facilitate trade and investment between both sides, improve regional connectivity and jointly build an open regional economy.

Trade cooperation between China and ASEAN has developed steadily over the years. China has been ASEAN's largest trade partner for 14 consecutive years and both sides have remained each other's largest trade partner for three years in a row.

The accumulative two-way investment between China and ASEAN countries had exceeded $380 billion by July this year.