China-ASEAN Expo To Strengthen Economic Ties

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Jun. 21 – The upcoming China-ASEAN Expo will boost trade and investment relations between China and the 10-nation ASEAN bloc. Cambodian Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh specifically highlighted the importance of the expo for regional economic growth.

“The expo is an international significant event to boost the development of ASEAN-China Free Trade Area,” Prasidh said at a roundtable meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. “It is a platform to share opportunities for cooperation, development and principles of mutual benefits.”

The expo is designed to promote trade in goods and services, investment cooperation, culture and tourism.

“The China-ASEAN Expo has become one of China’s 10 most influential expos. It opens a new opportunity for businesspeople from various countries to seek joint development,” Prasidh further stated.

The 10th China-ASEAN Expo will be held from September 23-26, 2013. The Expo will include an ASEAN-China forum, which offers a key platform for cooperation between the attending leaders.

Secretary of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region’s Party Committee Peng Qinghua praised Cambodia for its participation in the China-ASEAN expo.

“Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia has attended the annual event six times,” Qinghua said.

China is Cambodia’s largest investor and is also a leading trade partner. In 2012, bilateral trade between the two nations totaled US$2.9 billion. Further cooperation, such as what will be facilitated during the upcoming expo, aims to exceed previous trade figures.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao initiated the China-ASEAN Expo during the 7th ASEAN-China Summit. The inaugural expo was held in 2004 in Nanning, capital of China ‘s southwest province of Guangxi.