new economy

　　

The China-Asean Expo shows China's high level of opening-up

From September 16 to 19, the 20th China-Asean Expo and China-Asean Business and Investment Summit were successfully held in Nanning, Guangxi.

The China-Asean Expo and the ASEAN-China Business and Investment Summit have gone through 20 years of history, witnessing the continuous development of bilateral relations along the way. At this year's East Expo, a dazzling array of specialty commodities from ASEAN countries and trade and investment negotiations have been carried out. From smart agriculture and infrastructure construction to digital economy, green economy and supply chain connectivity, China and ASEAN countries continue to carry out economic and trade cooperation in a wider range, wider areas and deeper levels.

 Through the East Expo, we can more truly feel that China is firmly committed to promoting high-level opening-up, expanding mutually beneficial cooperation with ASEAN countries in an all-round way, and promoting regional economic integration and economic and trade cooperation, which has injected new momentum into the growth of global trade and investment.

Trade and investment have increased, and economic and trade cooperation has developed by leaps and bounds

Construction of Su Steel with an annual output of 500,000 tons of blast furnace project in Indonesia, light rail Line 3 series of engineering projects in Malaysia, and Nansheng agricultural irrigation project in Laos...... At the East Expo, General Technology Group exhibited its project map in the ASEAN region. "In the past 10 years, we have successfully implemented nearly 50 international engineering projects with regional demonstration effect, with a total contract value of more than 5.5 billion US dollars." Lu Yimin, General manager and deputy secretary of the Party Group, said that the Group will continue to deepen cooperation with ASEAN countries with the help of the East Expo, a national and international economic and trade exchange platform, and make new and greater contributions to the construction of a closer China-Asean community of common destiny.

Asean countries are located at the crossroads of land and sea under the Belt and Road Initiative and are key areas for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. In recent years, China and ASEAN countries have deepened cooperation in trade, investment and connectivity, completed a number of landmark projects, and worked together to paint a "good picture" of jointly building the Belt and Road. Despite the sluggish global economic recovery, trade and investment have bucked the trend.

The trade pie keeps getting bigger. Durian from Thailand, coffee from Malaysia... At the East Expo, there is a dazzling array of special commodities from ASEAN countries. In recent years, with the deepening of trade between China and ASEAN countries, more and more goods from ASEAN countries have entered China, and China's advantageous products such as intelligent manufacturing, green and low-carbon have been exported at a faster pace. The trade volume between China and ASEAN has increased by 16.8 times in the past 20 years.

Investment cooperation has been invigorated. The China-Laos Railway has been put into operation, realizing the Lao people's dream of transforming a land-locked country into a land-linked country. The Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville Expressway will shorten the travel time between the two places from 5 hours to less than 2 hours, pushing Cambodia into the "high-speed era"; China and Singapore have embarked on a fast track to jointly build a new international land and sea trade corridor, with a transport network covering 393 ports in 119 countries and regions. Investment cooperation between China and ASEAN has grown rapidly and we are each other's important sources and destinations of investment.

We will highlight green intelligence and jointly foster new growth drivers for development

"Striver" full sea deep manned submersible, unmanned untethered underwater robot, emergency rescue unmanned helicopter... At the Advanced Technology Exhibition of the East Expo, a number of advanced technologies and application cases were concentrated on the debut, attracting many visitors to stop.

Experts said that China and ASEAN are each other's important development opportunities and have broad common interests in sharing the super-scale market, giving play to the complementary advantages of economy and rationally allocating resources. At present, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is booming, and green, low-carbon and sustainable development has become the consensus of people around the world. China and ASEAN should grasp the new development trend, expand cooperation in emerging areas such as green, low-carbon and digital economy, build a more stable, unblocked regional industrial chain and supply chain system based on comparative advantages, and consolidate and enhance the overall competitiveness of the region.

A total of nearly 2,000 enterprises participated in the Expo, an increase of 18.2% over the previous session, and set up an exhibition area of intelligent equipment, digital technology, advanced technology, green building materials and smart home, focusing on green low-carbon technologies and applications, helping carbon reach peak carbon neutrality, and promoting regional green development. In addition, during the East Expo, 19 high-level forums were held on e-commerce, environmental protection, blue economy and other relevant hot areas to deepen cooperation between China and ASEAN countries in sustainable and low-carbon development.

At the 2nd China-Asean Forum on Peaceful Use of Nuclear Technology co-sponsored by the China Atomic Energy Authority and the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, co-organized by the China National Nuclear Corporation and hosted by China Nuclear Power, the China Atomic Energy Authority issued the "Nuclear Technology Helps Build a Better Homeland - China's Plan" to further help the peaceful use of nuclear energy and nuclear technology and seek green development.

We should explore institutional opening-up and build new consensus on opening-up and cooperation

The China-Vietnam Smart Port project officially started, which will realize 24-hour smart customs clearance; China-asean Drug Quality Exchange Platform project was launched to carry out cooperation in traditional drug regulatory policies, coordination and mutual recognition of medicinal materials standards... This year, with the full entry into force of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) for all signatories, a number of high-quality cooperation projects exploring institutional opening-up between China and ASEAN countries are moving forward in an orderly manner.

At the East Expo, exploring a higher level of opening up and docking international high-standard economic and trade rules has become the main theme.

For the first time, this year's East Expo will hold a side meeting with the theme of "Institutional Openness: A New Pattern of Regional Economic Development", focusing on steadily expanding institutional openness and cooperation in rules, regulations, management, standards and commercial affairs in the region in the new era, creating an open high-level platform, boosting the construction of the 3.0 version of the China-Asean Free Trade Area, and promoting the construction of a new pattern of regional development and an open world economy.

In the "Year of Investment in China - Into Guangxi" series of investment promotion activities held for the first time, Singapore Pacific Shipping Group, Apo Chemical of the United States, Lesaffre of France, EDF of France, GKN (Bazhou) Metal Powder and other multinational companies have expressed optimism about the prospects of cooperation between China and ASEAN countries. Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Li Fei introduced that the "Year of Investing in China" series of activities aimed at showing China's resource endowment, industrial base and business environment in an all-round, multi-level and three-dimensional way, and providing smooth channels for foreign investors to enter China, understand China and invest in China.

Being in the East Expo venue, looking at the smiling faces and walking through the exquisite and lively booths, I feel more deeply the vibrant vitality of the economic and trade cooperation between China and ASEAN countries. At present, China is comprehensively promoting Chinese-style modernization through high-quality development, promoting cooperation through opening-up and promoting win-win results through inclusiveness. A China that continues to open up will surely provide broader market space for ASEAN countries through its own development and jointly create a more prosperous and beautiful future.