An Extraordinary Platform for China-ASEAN Cooperation and Exchanges

The China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) is an international economic and trade event jointly confirmed by the leaders of China and ASEAN. It was proposed by the Chinese side at the 7th ASEAN-China Summit in October 2003 that the CAEXPO be annually held in Nanning, Guangxi, China from the year 2004 onwards. The proposal gained positive feedback from the heads of state/government of the 10 ASEAN countries, and was written into the Chairman's Statement released afterwards. The 1st CAEXPO was successfully concluded in Nanning in November 2004, since then Nanning has become the permanent host city of the CAEXPO.

CAEXPO Co-sponsors:

Ministry of Commerce of China

Ministries/Department of Commerce/Trade & Industry of the 10 ASEAN Member States

ASEAN Secretariat

Objectives:

Advancing the China-ASEAN FTA construction for shared opportunities of cooperation and development

Defining Features:

A prominent platform that integrates friendly communication, economic & trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges and aims to deepen dialogue and reciprocal cooperation

A national-level major event in China with special international influence，co-sponsored by the central governments of 11 countries taking place annually.

China-ASEAN Business & Investment Summit (CABIS) has been held concurrently.

Accelerating upgrading of the China-ASEAN FTA and Belt & Road Cooperation, promoting policy coordination, infrastructure connection, unimpeded trade, monetary circulation and people-to-people exchanges

Building a service platform for the construction of the China-ASEAN FTA, a public platform for the exchanges on all fronts in the China-ASEAN community of shared future, a core platform connecting the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and Silk Road Economic Belt, and a new investment and trade promotion center for China and ASEAN

—Pooling consensus and synergizing national development strategies

97 Chinese and foreign countries’ leaders have personally visited the previous CAEXPOs, along with over 3400 ministerial dignitaries.

During each CAEXPO, meetings between leaders, ministers, governors and mayors and high-end talks between political dignitaries and business leaders are arranged, helping reach consensus on building the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and materializing the China-ASEAN “3+X” cooperation framework.

A series of documents like Nanning Declaration were released, promoting policy coordination, enhancing strategic mutual trust and providing a reliable political environmental and institutional guarantee for bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

—Accelerating the construction of China-ASEAN FTA and materializing trade and investment facilitation

The exhibition contents of the CAEXPO center on the CAFTA construction progress and the different economic development levels, resource endowments, industrial mixes, features of industrial sectors of China and 10 ASEAN countries.

It pools information of businesses, commodities, projects and capitals of both sides.

It not only focuses on trade and investment cooperation, but also cooperation in transportation & logistics, customs clearance, information, e-commerce, cross-border finance and other relevant fields that can extend its value chain.

It translates the CAFTA investment and trade facilitation policies from government paperwork into tangible benefits for business circles. It becomes an accelerator of the CAFTA construction.

Facts of the previous 17 CAEXPOs

926,000 exhibitors and trade visitors

Growing Economic and Trade Outcomes

The CAEXPO has effectively promoted the business matching among the enterprises, industrial sectors and chambers of commerce/trade associations of both sides, facilitating the regular bilateral trade and investment, and advancing the bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

In 2004 when the 1st CAEXPO was held, the bilateral trade volume fulfilled the goal of US$100 billion one year ahead of schedule. In 2007, the goal of US$200 billion was realized 3 years ahead of schedule. In 2020, the two-way trade exceeded US$684.6 billion, making China and ASEAN largest trading partner to each other. By the end of 2020, the accumulative two-way investment reached over US$310 billion.

The CAEXPO has effectively promoted the trade in goods, investment cooperation, advanced technology transfer, trade in services, city-to-city exchanges, industrial connection and subregional cooperation of the two sides.

The CAEXPO has well demonstrated the win-win results produced by the CAFTA construction, upgrading the China-ASEAN strategic partnership to a new high.

—Promoting bilateral cooperation on all fronts and giving impetus to in-depth exchanges

With the fast growing China-ASEAN economic and trade cooperation, both sides have raised new expectations and demands on the supporting services including customs, inspection and quarantine, finance, ports and logistics, etc.

The two sides also hope to encourage closer people-to-people exchanges in fields of culture, education and sports, etc. via enhanced economic and trade cooperation.

To this end, a series of high-end forums and relevant programs were held concurrently with the previous 17 CAEXPOs, gathering ministers and other high-ranking government officials, entrepreneurs, experts and scholars for dialogues and exchange programs.

These programs studied and provided possible solutions for relevant issues in different fields, which have formed a series of cooperation mechanisms.

A series of cultural and sports programs are arranged during fair period of the CAEXPO, which have greatly boosted friendly exchanges between Chinese and ASEAN peoples and enriched the roles played by the Nanning Channel.

—Strengthening China and ASEAN’s cooperation with other economies, thus to better integrating with the global value chain

The CAEXPO is not only a platform for China-ASEAN cooperation, but also a grand trade event open to the whole world. Leaders of the international organizations like World Trade Organization (WTO)，International Trade Center (ITC)，the World Bank, the UN Conference on Trade and Development and the UN Industrial Development Organization were attracted to the previous CAEXPOs. Sourcing companies from countries and regions outside the China-ASEAN region were invited to each CAEXPO. Activities arranged for promoting exchanges and cooperation among RCEP members and countries and regions along the Belt and Road are arranged during the CAEXPO. The CAEXPO has strengthened cooperation of countries along the Silk Road Economic Belt and those along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and promoted exchanges of China and ASEAN with other economies, enhancing the influence of China and ASEAN as a whole in the world and providing a springboard to the huge world market and abundant business opportunities beyond the China-ASEAN region.