Trade ties with ASEAN will expand to unleash potential

Expo to deepen regional cooperation, inject fresh development impetus

The 18th China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, with a widely-attended expo and a myriad of high-level forums and events, will deepen economic and trade cooperation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to benefit development of both sides, government officials and experts said on Thursday.

That will further unleash the growth potential of the regional economy to improve the welfare of its people, while also injecting new development impetus into global economic recovery and growth and the fight against the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as rising protectionism, they said.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN dialogue relations and the event is taking place from Friday to Monday in Nanning, the capital of South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. It will be held both online and offline, and the forum has a total exhibition area of about 102,000 square meters.