What they say

Nanning plays an important role in promoting and strengthening economic cooperation in investment, trade and tourism between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including Laos. Nanning has been a permanent venue for the annual China- ASEAN Expo for 17 consecutive years. The expo, also called Nanning Expo, has become an effective venue for comprehensive ASEAN- China cooperation and exchanges not only in the private sector, but the public sector at all levels. Every year, a high- ranking Lao official delegation, businesspeople and entrepreneurs participate in the Nanning

Expo ... Nanning creates excellent opportunities for Lao products and goods to enter the Chinese market. Virasac Somphong, consul- general of Laos in Nanning

Guangxi has been recognized as China’s gateway to ASEAN and vice versa. Its elevation as one of China’s new free trade zones focusing on ASEAN further reaffirms this. Nanning is set to play an integral role for the modern service industry, which is something that has great potential for deeper bilateral and regional cooperation, especially in the areas of the digital economy, smart logistics, e- commerce and the manufacturing industry. On top of this, Nanning is the permanent host of the China- ASEAN Expo, which is a very important event to our bilateral and regional economic activities. Azlimi Zakaria, consul- general of Malaysia in Nanning

China’s growth pace is totally beyond my imagination. It takes just five hours to travel from Nanning to Guangzhou ( capital of neighboring Guangdong province). In contrast, I had to spend two hours commuting to the university within Nanning 11 years ago. It is incredible to see so many dramatic changes that have brought convenience to our daily lives: Cash remained in my wallet for two years. I didn’t have a chance to use it, since e- payment via a smartphone works across the country; after placing an order on JD ( a shopping portal) in the morning, I can receive delivery in the afternoon; just a few clicks on a culinary portal will follow with a takeout service in a short while; fast internet speeds have enabled video websites to compete with TV to become another entertainment option. Numerous students from Southeast Asia have come to Nanning for studies. Like me, they are fascinated by the city.

Jariya Unthong, a teacher from Thailand working at Guangxi University