18th CABIS deepens China-Asean community cooperation, future sharing

Fruitful results of 30-year dialogue relations and a new chapter for 18 years of China-Asean Business and Investment Summit (CABIS)

The 18th CABIS has strengthened cooperation in the fields of business and investment, serving as a practical platform for exchange and cooperation in the course of building a China-Asean community with a shared future.
The event took place in Nanning, Guangxi, China, with the theme “Sharing Opportunities Created by the New Land-Sea Corridor, Building the China-Asean Community with a Shared Future”.
President of China, Mr Xi Jinping, sent his congratulations to this year’s CAEXPO and CABIS, while the Vice President of China, Mr Wang Qishan, read Xi’s letter of congratulations and delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. State leaders from Asean countries also gave speeches via video as part of the opening ceremony.

The Round-table Dialogue on Friday between state leaders of Laos and CEOs from Nanning, China.	Scene at the 18th China-Asean Expo and China-Asean Business and Investment Summit.    --Photo Huang Ke and Deng Hua, reporters at the Guangxi Daily

This year’s event marks the 30th anniversary of China-Asean dialogue relations, the China-Asean Year of Sustainable Development, and the 60th anniversary of China-Laos diplomatic relations.
In this special period, there were three events within the framework of CABIS, namely the Round-table Dialogue between the State Leader of Laos and CEOs from China, the China-Asean Business Leaders Forum & Special Meeting on the 30th Anniversary of China-Asean Dialogue Relations, and the Symposium on China-Asean Commercial Legal Cooperation.
China-Asean cooperation has progressively deepened and over the past three decades economic cooperation has steadily increased, with trade increasing 85-fold.
Last year, Asean became the largest trading partner of China, while China has been Asean’s largest trading partner for 12 consecutive years. In the first half of 2021, bilateral trade increased 38.2 percent on a year-on-year basis and revealed the momentum of further growth.
The results of 30-year cooperation have also benefitted the people of these countries.
Speaking at the Business Leaders Forum, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, Mr Jurin Laksanawisit, said “The China-Asean strategic partnership has seen fruitful results in cooperation in economy, political security, and social exchanges, making China and Asean crucial cooperation partners and each other’s most vital strategic partners.”

The China-Asean Business Leaders Forum & Special Meeting in Nanning, Guangxi, China on Friday.

“China is deepening its relations with Asean and Thailand, developing closer cooperation. Both sides are adhering to the principle of mutual respect and seeking mutual development and prosperity in various areas through joint efforts,” he added.
“The commerce and industry communities of China and Asean have joined hands to promote the development of the China-Asean Free Trade Area, the Belt and Road Initiative, and the negotiation of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. They have contributed considerably to the constant development of China-Asean economic cooperation,” said the Chairperson of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and Director of the CABIS Organising Committee, Gao Yan, during the Business Leaders Forum.
This year, CABIS invited 10 national chambers of commerce and industry from the 10 Asean countries as the co-sponsors for the first time, to raise China-Asean economic cooperation to a new level and to listen to the voice of the Asean commerce and industry community, for which this innovation was positively responded.
“We are glad to see the 10 national chambers of commerce and industry from 10 Asean countries serving as the co-sponsors of the 18th CABIS. This will further enhance relations between the CCPIT and Asean chambers of commerce and industry, injecting more vitality into the CCPIT,” the President of Malaysia’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dato’ Low Kian Chuan, said.
He added that in the future, China-Asean cooperation will be more diverse and Asean will seize the opportunities within the framework of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the Belt and Road Initiative, pushing mutual prosperity to a higher level.
With 18-year fruitful results, CABIS combines efforts to create a brighter future.
The CABIS has taken place 18 times and has become a significant China-Asean platform for opening-up and cooperation. This year’s event also achieved several significant results, which strongly facilitated the upgrade and development of China-Asean economic cooperation.
Since its first meeting, it has promoted a series of key projects, showing its great efficacy.
At this year’s Round-table, Laos’ Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and Investment, Dr Sonexay Siphandone, had in-depth exchanges with CEOs from Chinese enterprises with certain practical cooperation reached, raising bilateral economic cooperation to a new stage.
It is safe to say that the Round-table has set an example for mutually beneficial cooperation and development.
During the event, the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor was issued at the Business Leaders Forum, which was fully supported by the representatives of the 10 Asean national chambers of commerce and industry.
In addition, the forum saw the launch of the promotion of digital coordination of the cross-border supply chain along the new international land-sea corridor.
During the Symposium on China-Asean Commercial Legal Cooperation under the theme “New Opportunities for Legal Services under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership”, CCPIT and Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry jointly signed a Memorandum on the Establishment of the China-Laos Commercial Legal Cooperation Committee.
The Higher People’s Court of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the Guangxi Committee of CCPIT jointly signed a Memorandum on the Establishment of Docking Mechanism Cooperation on Foreign Commercial Legal Dispute Litigation and Mediation.
There was also an inauguration ceremony for the Commercial Legal Services Offices of the Guangxi International Chamber of Commerce in Singapore and Malaysia.
The Research on Coordination Cooperation Mechanism of China-Asean Commercial Legal Arbitration White Paper was also issued.
The huge potential increase in demand for legal services and new opportunities for legal services under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership were comprehensively revealed during the symposium.

By Advertorial Desk
  (Latest Update September 15, 2021)