China(Shanxi)-ASEAN Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference Held

On April 16, the China (Shanxi)-ASEAN Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference was held in Beijing. The meeting was co-hosted by the Shanxi Provincial Government and the China-ASEAN Business Council.

Lu Dongliang, Vice Governor of Shanxi Province, said in his speech that during the 30 years since the establishment of China-ASEAN dialogue partnership, Shanxi and ASEAN countries have become increasingly close in economic ties, and exchanges and cooperation have become deeper and deeper. More and more investors from ASEAN countries are empowering Shanxi's development and at the same time sharing the dividends of Shanxi's rapid development. In 2020, a quarter of Shanxi's imports and exports came from RCEP member countries. Shanxi and ASEAN countries are highly mutually complementary in economy and trade. The two sides have a broad space for cooperation, especially in digital economy, infrastructure construction, equipment manufacturing, coal chemical industry, and development of characteristic agricultural products. In the joint construction of the "Belt and Road", the cooperation between the two parties will also continue to achieve new and greater results.

Lu pointed out that at present, Shanxi is stepping up efforts to establish an effective policy mechanism for RCEP and working with ASEAN countries to continue to expand trade and investment, jointly respond to risks and challenges, deepen connectivity, and strengthen cultural exchanges. He hopes that all parties take this matchmaking meeting as an opportunity to further enhance understanding, strengthen exchanges, and deepen cooperation, and more enterprises will settle in Shanxi and share the historical opportunities of reform and development on the land of Shanxi.

Xu Ningning, Executive President of the China-ASEAN Business Council, said in his speech that Shanxi and the 10 ASEAN countries can carry out in-depth cooperation in many areas, including connectivity and logistics, resource development, smart city construction, industrial park, and manufacturing, agricultural and economic crop planting and processing, cultural tourism, etc. Shanxi also has many advantageous products for the ASEAN market, and the 10 ASEAN countries can become one of the first overseas regions for Shanxi enterprises to "go out".

Xu put forward three suggestions on enhancing economic and trade cooperation between ASEAN and Central China:

First, the two sides are actively engaging in cooperation and tapping the potential for regional cooperation. With the help of the good foundation built by China and ASEAN in the past 30 years, the close relationship between China and ASEAN as the largest trading partners, the two sides face fine opportunities brought about by RCEP's coming into effect, and the grand opening in Taiyuan in late May. The Central China Investment and Trade Expo is an important platform to formulate and implement an action plan for cooperation between central China’s provinces and municipalities and ASEAN, and organically integrate the external cycle in the development of the "double circulation" economy with the cooperation of neighboring ASEAN countries. The cooperation between provinces and cities and ASEAN is integrated into China-ASEAN multilateral and bilateral cooperation, and develops by taking advantage of the situation.

Second is to focus on strengthening industrial cooperation and develop the complementarity of industrial advantages. Strengthen industrial cooperation to drive bilateral trade and investment cooperation, use industrial planning and policy alignment to find the entry point of cooperation, give full play to the advantageous role of various economic development zones and logistics parks in industrial cooperation, and strive to locate China-ASEAN industry cooperation mechanism in the central provinces and cities of China to build a focal point for industrial cooperation, improve the level of industrial cooperation and promote industrial upgrading.

Third, companies from both sides should fully grasp and make good use of the China-ASEAN free trade policy and the upcoming RCEP agreement. As the pandemic is still raging in some ASEAN countries, relevant institutions, prefectures, cities, and industry associations in central China can organize more online video conferences, including product fairs, investment projects promotion meetings, etc, actively help companies improve their capacities of international management and help companies better understand ASEAN economic information and broaden ASEAN’s business channels. This is what the current cooperation between the two companies needs.

H.E. Madam Khek Caimealy Sysoda, Cambodian Ambassador to China, said in her speech that Vice Governor Lu led representatives including the mayors of various cities in Shanxi Province to Beijing to attend the meeting, which demonstrated Shanxi Province’s desire to develop cooperation with ASEAN. In the economic and trade cooperation between China and ASEAN countries, local governments play an active role. China’s central region and ASEAN countries have great potentials for economic and trade cooperation. The signing of the RCEP brings new opportunities for regional openness and cooperation. The 30th anniversary of the establishment of a dialogue partnership between China and ASEAN will enter a new phase of cooperation between the two sides. It will help promote the new development of economic and trade cooperation between central China, including Shanxi Province, and ASEAN countries.

H.E. Madam Khamphao ERNTHAVANH, Lao Ambassador to China, stated in her speech that China’s Shanxi Province and ASEAN countries including Laos are highly mutually complementary in economic and trade cooperation. The convening of this meeting is of positive significance for enhancing mutual understanding and connection, and developing cooperation potential. Laos and China are connected by mountains and rivers, have good-neighborly friendship and close economic and trade relations. In 2020, Chinese companies' investment in Laos increased by 8.9%. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Laos and the Laos-China Friendship Year. The two countries are accelerating cooperation in all aspects. The China-Laos railway will open to traffic at the end of this year. It is recommended that Chinese companies, including Shanxi companies, pay attention to and seize the opportunities for investment, trade, and tourism cooperation brought by the convenient transportation between the two countries.

At the meeting, Jia Xiaowei, deputy director of the Management Committee of Changzhi High-tech Industrial Development Zone, introduced the cooperation projects in the development zone. Jia said that Changzhi has a profound history and culture, magnificent natural scenery and great Taihang spirit. It has many national honorary titles such as a national civilized city and a national sanitary city. Demonstration zone for resource-based city industry transformation and upgrading. Changzhi High-tech Zone is located in the core area of the city. It is an important bearer of Changzhi's construction of a provincial sub-central city and the main support for Changzhi to "take the lead in creating a new path for transformation and development." He showed the development advantages of the company in Changzhi High-tech Zone with a video.

Xue Ye, deputy general manager of Huayuan International Land Port Group, said in her speech that Huayuan is the largest comprehensive modern logistics group in Shanxi, and it is listed among the top 500 Chinese enterprises, the top 500 Chinese service industry companies, and the top 20 Chinese logistics companies. The national 5A-level integrated service logistics enterprise undertakes the "three missions" of accelerating the investment and construction of Shanxi railways, leading the high-quality development of the logistics industry, and creating a new window for opening up. Currently, Huayuan is taking advantage of the upgrade of the RCEP and the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, and is actively engaged in the import and export trade of commodities, meat, natural rubber, equipment manufacturing, basalt materials, hemp textiles, epidemic prevention materials and other products with ASEAN countries, and strives to become the main carrier of international trade of the 10 ASEAN countries in the central region.

Wang Xiu, Vice Chairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shanxi Provincial Committee presided over the meeting. At the meeting, the Committee and China-ASEAN Business Council signed a memorandum of cooperation.

Zhang Yu, Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the Shanxi Provincial Party Committee, Zhang Hongliang, Deputy Director of the General Office of the Shanxi Provincial Government, Xing Limin, Deputy Director of the Shanxi Provincial Department of Commerce, Yang Chunquan, Director of the Shanxi Provincial Investment Promotion Bureau, Liang Shujuan, Deputy Director of the Shanxi Provincial Foreign Affairs Office, and Executive Deputy of the Yangquan Municipal Government Mayor Huang Haitao, Executive Deputy Mayor Shang Rihong of Changzhi Municipal Government, Hao Xianmin, Deputy Mayor of Datong Municipal Government, Cui Yuanbin, Deputy Mayor of Yuncheng Government, Liu Jinping, Deputy Mayor of Luliang Municipal Government, Fan Jianmin, Deputy Mayor of Xinzhou Municipal Government, and a total of 50 representatives of provincial entrepreneurs attended the meeting and communicated with more than 200 representatives including those of ASEAN countries online and offline.

Prior to the meeting, Vice Governor Lu met with H.E. Ambassador Khek Caimealy Sysoda, H.E. Ambassador Khamphao ERNTHAVANH, H.E. Ambassador Pehin Dato Rahmani Dato Basir, and H.E. Ambassador Arthayudh Srisamoot, Deputy Director of the Malaysian Embassy in China Sanmugan Subramaniam and Economic Minister See Chee Kong, Minister Counselor of the Indonesian Embassy in China Virdiana Ririen Hapsari, Commercial Counselor of the Vietnamese Embassy in China Dao Viet Anh, Commercial Counselor of the Philippine Embassy in China Glenn Penaranda and Commercial Counselor of the Embassy of Myanmar in China Shwe Sin Oo. The two sides vowed to jointly promote the new development of economic and trade cooperation between China's Shanxi and ASEAN.