China-ASEAN trade fair opens, first since RCEP took effect

The annual China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO), a trade show that bears witness to the blossoming of economic cooperation between China and the 10-nation regional grouping, opened Friday in Nanning, capital of South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the first edition of the event since the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) went into force at the beginning of the year.

This year marks the first year of the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership, and it’s hoped that both sides can make good use of new opportunities in the wake of the RCEP implementation, continue to expand the opening and cooperative “circle of friends,” and build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future, Vice Premier Han Zheng said in a keynote speech to the opening of CAEXPO, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Han urged all sides to enhance bilateral economic and trade cooperation, implement RCEP in a high-quality manner, increase imports of premium products, notably farm produce, from ASEAN, and foster a deep integration of industrial, supply and value chains.

The RCEP implementation unleashes the potential of a unified big market, injecting strong vitality into China-ASEAN cooperation, the vice premier stated.

Countries from across the globe were welcomed to invest in China, and Chinese businesses were also encouraged to explore international markets, he continued, hoping for the business community to discover opportunities and make greater contributions to regional development.

ASEAN and RCEP bouquet exhibition areas debuted at this year’s CAEXPO to showcase wide-ranging products from different economies.

The ASEAN and RCEP-themed exhibition space was seen crowded on Friday with visitors trying out speciality foods, skincare and healthcare items, among a variety of products hailing from Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and other RCEP member countries.