China Highlights Upcoming China-ASEAN Expo, Business and Investment Summit

2015-07-29 19:22:47 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Guo

Zhang Xiaoqin, Vice Chair of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, addresses a press conference in Beijing on July 29, 2015. [Photo: CFP]

Chinese officials putting together this year's China-ASEAN expo in Guangxi are suggesting the internet is going to be one of the main focuses of the event.

CRI's Guo Yan has more.

Yu Ping, vice chair of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, says this year's event in Guangxi's capital, Nanning, will be focused on the promotion of e-commerce.

"This year's business leaders forum will highlight the connectivity of China-ASEAN e-commerce and logistics. Discussions will focus on the role of e-commerce and logistics in our building of the Maritime Silk Road of the 21st Century and China-ASEAN Free Trade Area"

The creation of a China-ASEAN e-commerce network is also expected to be finalized at this year's event.

Yu Ping says a number of Chinese e-commerce firms are already getting involved.

"We will try to build a China-ASEAN e-commerce network within the framework of the summit. Chinese e-commerce giants will be involved to offer an online platform for the enterprises in the region, promoting the multilateral economic cooperation."

The companies to be involved have not been named.

Economic and trade cooperation between China and ASEAN countries is continuing to rise, despite the current economic slowdown.

Trade spiked more than 8-percent last year, and is also up 1.6-percent through the first half of this year.

Chinese vice-Commerce minister Gao Yan notes the 10 countries which make up ASEAN account for a significant amount of trade with China.

"The trade between China and ASEAN reached 480.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2014, with the year-on-year growth rate being 8.23 percent, which is 5 percent higher than the growth rate of China's total foreign trade last year. The trade between China and ASEAN reached 224.38 billion U.S. dollars in the first half of this year, up 1.6 percent year on year. The trade with ASEAN accounts for 12 percent of China's total foreign trade."

Gao Yan also says mutual investment continues to grow.

"The two-way investment between China and ASEAN exceeded 130 billion U.S. dollars by the end of 2014. ASEAN member countries invested more than 90 billion U.S. dollars in China. Meanwhile, China's investment in ASEAN member countries also saw rapid growth. After 2010, China's investment in ASEAN countries accounted for more than 60 percent of our country's total outbound investment."

This year's summit in Nanning, which will run for 4-days, is also due to include a forum involving Chinese companies and leaders from Thailand, which is this year's honored guest at the meeting.

For CRI, I'm Guo Yan.