Xi calls for enhanced regional trade
President calls for nation, ASEAN to boost speed of economic rebound
President Xi Jinping reiterated China’s pledge to see the A ssociation of Southeast Asian Nations as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy and a key region in highqualit y Belt and Road cooperation on F riday, as he called upon enhanced bilateral economic and trade cooperation to accelerate regional economic recovery.
In a speech delivered via video link at the opening of the 17 th C hinaASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, Xi highlighted the need for the two sides to sustain the smooth flow of trade, promote mutual in vestment, open up markets wider to each other , and foster deeply integrated industrial, supply and value chains.
The e xpo and summit are being held Friday through Monday in Nanning, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. Over 1,500 businesses, including 332 foreign businesses, will also take part in an online expo that runs throughout the year.
In his speech, X i said the e xpo should be used as a platform with a bigger role to play in promoting allaround economic and trade cooperation among China, ASEAN and the entirety of East Asia.
“China and ASEAN countries, connected by the same mountains and rivers, share close affinity and a longstanding friendship, ” he said, noting that the bilateral relationship has grown into the most successful and vibrant model for cooperation in the A siaPacific, and is an exemplary effort in building a community with a shared future for mankind.
With the world undergoing major changes unseen in a century and the destinies of people in diferent countries closely connec ted lik e ne ver before, Xi underscored China’s continued support to ASEAN’s communitybuilding and the bloc ’s centrality in East Asian cooperation.
“China will work with ASEAN to advance allaround cooperation under the guidance of the Strategic Partnership Vision 2030,” he said.
Going for ward, Xi urged the t wo sides to enhance strategic mutual trust and be tter synergize de velopment plans, saying that more efforts should be made to build the N ew International LandSea Trade Corridor, streng then cooperation on infrastructure connec tivity, including railwa ys, highwa ys, por ts, airports, power and communications.
The t wo sides need to step up innovation in science and technology and bolster cooperation on the digital economy, he said.
“We could create more highlights of cooperation in such areas as smart city, 5G, artificial intelligence, ecommerce, big data, block chain and telemedicine, and streng then the protec tion of data sec urity and policy communication and coordination,” he said.
The president also highlighted the significance of heightened bilateral cooperation against COVID 19 and stepping up capacit y building in public health.
China will ac tively consider the needs of ASEAN countries once its COVID19 vaccines are available for use, and the country will offer financial suppor t to the COVID 19 ASEAN Response Fund, he said.
The country will provide training to 1,000 administrative and specialized health personnel from ASEAN countries, and it will work with the bloc in de veloping the regional reserve of medical supplies for public health emergencies and launching a liaison mechanism for public health emergencies, he added.
“China will stay as committed as ever to further openingup, and will seek greater synerg y through the interplay of its domestic and world economies. T he countr y will fuel a worldwide recover y with its own economic rebound, and countries around the world, ASEAN members included, will all benefit from it,” he said.
ASEAN over took the European Union to become C hina’s largest trading partner for the first time this year, with bilateral trading volume reaching 3.79 trillion yuan ($575. 76 billion) in the first 10 months, up by 7 percent yearonyear.
Business leaders at the opening ceremony of the expo said Xi’s speech has strengthened their confidence to seize opportunities arising from enhanced ChinaASEAN cooperation.
Zeng Guangan, chairman of Guangxi LiuG ong Group, said X i’s speech encouraged his compan y to manage its overseas business in a more open, cooperative wa y, and to leverage the platform of the Chinaasean Expo for more cooperation in both domestic and overseas markets.
Yan Hao, president of Pacific Construction Group, said X i’s remarks reinforced the company’s faith in stepping up cooperation with ASEAN.
“President X i’s four proposals pointed the wa y for future Chinaasean cooperation and of fered important guidance to a closer, more stable and more mutually beneficial ChinaASEAN relationship,” said Xu Ningning, executive president of the ChinaASEAN Business Council.
Drawing on the inspiration of the ancient Silk Road trade routes linking China and countries in Southeast Asia, President Xi Jinping proposed in 20 13 that China and the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations cooperate to build a 21 st Century Maritime Silk Road.
Seven years on, China and the 10 A SEAN members enjoy growing connectivity, deepening economic integration, robust business ties and closer peopletopeople exchanges.
Xi reaffirmed the importance of ChinaASEAN ties in his speech at the opening ceremony of the 17 th China A SEAN Expo and ChinaA SEAN Business and Investment Summit on Friday. Noting that China and the members of ASEAN “share close affinity and longstanding friendly relations ”, he said that A SEAN play san evergrowing role in China’ s global connections and in high quality Belt and Road cooperation.
It was as early as in 1991 that China and ASEAN officially started their dialogue in K uala Lumpur, Malaysia. In the 29 years since then, China and the A SEAN members have strengthened regional cooperation.
China was the first country outside the region to join the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia and the first country to establish a strategic partnership with ASEAN.
The friendship between the two sides has played a key role in this year’s fight against the novel corona virus. As Xi said in his video address on Friday, China and the A SEAN members have offered practical support to one another, shared experiences and opened “fast tracks” and “green lanes” to facilitate the flow of people and goods.
The friendship has also enabled them to work together to finalize and eventually ink the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement, which promises to be a steppingstone to greater regional economic integration.
And with Xi once again pledging that China remains committed to further opening up its economy and seeking greater synergies in the interplay between the domestic and world economies, ChinaASEAN cooperation has great prospects.
The expo and the summit being held in N anning, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, are not only fruits of the ChinaASEAN friendship, the y also mark a good star t for postpandemic cooperation as 160 trade promotion activities aimed at facilitating trade between China and A SEAN members are being held during the expo.
The C hinaASEAN relationship has grown into the most successful and vibrant model for cooperation in the AsiaPacific, which is an exemplary effort in building a community with a shared future for mankind.
China and ASEAN will continue to deepen cooperation under the guidance of the Strategic Partnership Vision 2030. Which not only bodes well for maintaining the positive momentum of cooperation in the region, but also se ts a good example for there st of the world.