Press Conference on the 18th CAEXPO Held by China SCIO

Press Conference on the 18th CAEXPO Held by China SCIO

A press conference on the China-ASEAN economic and trade cooperation, the 18th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) and the 18th China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (CABIS) was held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO) on July 29th, which the SCIO has done for 18 straight years. 

H.E. Mr. REN Hongbin, Assistant Minister of Commerce of China, H.E. Mr. ZHANG Shaogang, Vice Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), and H.E. Mr. LIU Hongwu, Vice Governor of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region respectively briefed the press on the China-ASEAN economic and trade cooperation and highlights of and preparations for the 18th CAEXPO and the 18th CABIS. 

Economic and trade cooperation between China and ASEAN maintains rapid growth and improvement in quality. Assistant Minister of Commerce Mr. REN Hongbin said, ASEAN remains a priority of China's diplomacy with neighboring countries and a major partner for promoting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. Since the establishment of China-ASEAN dialogue relations 30 years ago, the two sides have achieved remarkable outcomes in economic and trade cooperation.

1.Closer trade ties: the bilateral trade reached USD 684.6 billion in 2020, making ASEAN the largest trading partner of China for the first time, and China, the largest one of ASEAN for 12 years in a row. The trade figure has grown by 85 times over the past three decades. And in the first six months of this year, it rose by 38.2%, compared to the same period of last year. 

2.Thriving two-way investment cooperation: two-way investments between China and ASEAN have exceeded USD310 billion till the end of June.  

3.Fruitful cooperation in infrastructure: Till the end of June, the turnover of China-contracted projects in ASEAN has approached to USD350 billion. A number of major infrastructure projects are underway on schedule, and connectivity is greatly boosted across the region.

4.Closer economic integration within the region and beyond: More policy dividends are being unlocked for the business communities, with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement being signed in November 2020 and the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement and its upgrading protocol implemented on schedule. And sub-regional cooperation mechanisms such as Lancang-Mekong cooperation and China-BIMP-EAGA cooperation maintain steady development and bring rich tangible benefits to peoples of these regions.Within the CAFTA, more than 90 percent of the goods for bilateral trade enjoy zero tariffs. 

Guangxi Vice Governor Mr. LIU Hongwu said, over 18 years of development, the CAEXPO and the CABIS have grown to become important platforms for mutual opening-up and cooperation between China and ASEAN, playing positive roles in shaping a new development paradigm.

1.Consolidating high-end dialogue platforms: Over the previous 17 sessions, both events have attracted 97 Chinese and international state leaders and 3400 plus ministerial officials. Diverse activities held throughout the fair periods, such as keynote speeches delivered by state leaders, meetings and talks between the visiting leaders and ministerial consultation occasions have effectively promoted in-depth development of the China-ASEAN strategic partnership.

2.Upgrading platforms for economic and trade cooperation: Over 17 years, altogether 926,000 exhibitors and trade visitors have participated in the two events, and a series of breakthroughs have been made in trade in goods, trade in services and international industrial capacity cooperation, etc. All these are conducive to shaping an upgraded version of the China-ASEAN FTA. 

3.Expanding and enriching the Nanning Channel: 282 high-level forums and conferences have been held on sidelines, covering more than 40 areas for bilateral cooperation, advancing a number of major mechanisms and projects such as the new international land-sea trade corridor and the China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone.

国务院新闻办公室召开第十八届中国-东盟博览会新闻发布会

7月29日，国务院新闻办公室举行了中国-东盟经贸合作、第18届中国-东盟博览会和第18届中国-东盟商务与投资峰会的新闻发布会。国务院新闻办公室已经连续18年举行此类型的发布会。

中国商务部部长助理任鸿斌、中国国际贸易促进委员会副会长张绍刚和广西壮族自治区副区长刘洪武分别向新闻界介绍了中国-东盟经贸合作情况以及第18届中国国际博览会和第18届中国国际商会的亮点和筹备情况。

中国与东盟的经贸合作保持快速增长，质量不断提高。商务部部长助理任鸿斌表示，东盟仍然是中国对周边国家外交的重点，也是推动 "一带一路 "高质量合作的主要伙伴。中国-东盟建立对话关系30年来，双方在经贸合作方面取得了显著成果。

一是双方贸易合作持续升级。30年来，中国—东盟贸易规模扩大了85倍。2020年，东盟成为中国最大贸易伙伴，中国则连续12年保持东盟第一大贸易伙伴地位。今年上半年，双方贸易同比增长38.2%，继续呈现强劲增长势头。

二是双向投资合作蓬勃发展。东盟是中国最主要对外投资目的地和外商直接投资来源地。截至今年6月底，中国和东盟国家相互累计投资总额超过3100亿美元，双方在制造业、农业、基础设施、高新技术、数字经济、绿色经济等领域投资合作稳步拓展。

三是基础设施合作成效显著。截至今年6月底，中国企业在东盟国家开展工程承包合作累计完成营业额接近3500亿美元。中老铁路、印尼雅万高铁以及中新共建国际陆海贸易新通道、中印尼和中马“两国双园”等一批重大基础设施项目顺利实施，互联互通不断加速。

四是区域经济融合日益加深。中国—东盟自贸协定及其升级议定书政策红利持续释放，中国—东盟东部增长区、澜湄等次区域合作不断走深走实。据中方统计，中国—东盟自由贸易区建成10年来，双方之间90%以上的货物可享受零关税待遇，中国自东盟享惠进口占全部享惠进口的一半左右。去年11月，双方共同参与签署区域全面经济伙伴关系协定（RCEP），推动区域经济一体化建设取得重大成果，为本地区疫后经济复苏、稳定全球经济发展发挥重要作用。

广西壮族自治区副主席刘宏武在出席国新办新闻发布会时表示，历经18年的持续培育、发展，东博会、峰会已成为中国—东盟重要的开放合作平台，在服务构建新发展格局中发挥了积极作用。

一是夯实了高层对话平台。前17届东博会、峰会共有97位中外国家领导人、3400多位部长级贵宾出席。通过主旨演讲、领导人会见、部长级磋商等方式，有力推动了中国—东盟战略伙伴关系深入发展。

二是提升了经贸合作平台。东博会、峰会举办以来，共有92.6万名中外客商参展参会，在货物贸易、国际产能合作等方面取得了系列重要成果，有力地促进了中国—东盟经贸合作升级发展。

三是拓展了“南宁渠道”功能。在东博会、峰会框架下，共举办了282个高层会议论坛，涵盖40多个领域，促进陆海新通道、中国（广西）自由贸易试验区等领域的一批重大项目落地。

（转自中国-东盟博览会官方微信）