China’s CAEXPO to intensify business cooperation
The 9th annual China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) will run from September 21 to 25 at its permanent site in the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center, Guangxi, China. The event, already a star platform for international and business cooperation, will undoubtedly garner extra attention this year, as it will be attended by current China Vice President Xi Jinping.
By Laura Noggle
Xi, who is expected to become China’s next leader, reappeared on Saturday in Beijing after a two-week unexplained absence during which he missed meetings with four top foreign dignitaries including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Speculation over the cause of his disappearance continues to abound, publicity that the Chinese government does not need after the recent Bo Xilai scandal and the upcoming change of leadership next month.
CAEXPO highlights and promotes the further development of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA), and has become an important venue for discourse. Although the Xinhua news agency reported that Mr. Xi would be attending the opening ceremony, it is not certain if he will be meeting with the other leaders scheduled to attend, among them Myanmar President Thein Sein.
The event, a joint venture between the ministries of commerce, trade and industry of China and the 10 ASEAN countries is organised by the People’s Government of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China. This is the only region of China that borders the ASEAN bloc by both land and sea. Nanning, known as China’s green city, is coincidentally close to the Chinese word guanxi, meaning special relationships and benefits from social connections.
The conference has traditionally been very beneficial for those involved, with last year’s total CAEXPO trade concluded at $1.8 billion along with $7.42 billion of international economic cooperation projects. The ASEAN-China Free Trade Area itself is the largest of its kind by population, and third overall in terms of nominal GDP after the European Economic Area and the North American Free Trade Area.
This year, hopefully peaceful cooperation is the only item on the agenda, as Japan, Taiwan and Australia will also take part in the chance to woo enterprises from fields ranging from agricultural products to, literally, the kitchen sink.
Recent anti-Japanese demonstrations over the disputed ownership of the Diaoyu Islands (Senkaku in Japanese) have gradually been escalating with ultra nationalists resorting to violence in some parts of the country. The islands in question are also claimed by Taiwan along with China and Japan. The potential for the flashpoint to erupt and the questionably healthy appearance of Xi promises to make this event one closely scrutiniSed and watched by the international media, as well as business communities in the China-ASEAN FTA.
Hopes for the development of ACFTA into a larger free trade region via EAFTA (East Asian Free Trade Agreement – ASEAN plus 3 countries) or CEPEA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership in East Asia – ASEAN plus 6 countries) could be on the line if the island dispute is not handled well.
Aside from actual territorial integration issues, one aspect that ACFTA aims to improve upon is regulating standards in accordance to international levels in order to achieve high product quality. Higher quality products will in turn provide domestic companies with a chance to hold on to domestic and global market shares.
The wider international community is not to be ignored, even at this regional event.
“For us, it is our task to attract more companies (to CAEXPO) from China and ASEAN as well as from all over the world. So we sent some groups to North America and Europe to let more businesses take part in our expo.” Wang Lei, Vice Secretary-General of CAEXPO Secretariat, told reporters after a seminar on the event in Malaysia earlier this year.
“We want this expo to become a platform to promote China and ASEAN businesses,” he added.
This year’s theme for the expo is “Science and Technology Cooperation,” and with Apple’s recent big win over Samsung, along with China’s notorious counterfeit Apple products, the goal is to promote increased standards of intellectual property rights.
[caption id="attachment_4584" align="alignleft" width="150"] China's incumbent Vice President Xi Jinping is expected to attend the CAEXPO[/caption] The 9th annual China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) will run from September 21 to 25 at its permanent site in the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center, Guangxi, China. The event, already a star platform for international and business cooperation, will undoubtedly garner extra attention this year, as it will be attended by current China Vice President Xi Jinping. By Laura Noggle Xi, who is expected to become China’s next leader, reappeared on Saturday in Beijing after a two-week unexplained absence during which he missed meetings with four...
The 9th annual China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) will run from September 21 to 25 at its permanent site in the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center, Guangxi, China. The event, already a star platform for international and business cooperation, will undoubtedly garner extra attention this year, as it will be attended by current China Vice President Xi Jinping.
By Laura Noggle
Xi, who is expected to become China’s next leader, reappeared on Saturday in Beijing after a two-week unexplained absence during which he missed meetings with four top foreign dignitaries including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Speculation over the cause of his disappearance continues to abound, publicity that the Chinese government does not need after the recent Bo Xilai scandal and the upcoming change of leadership next month.
CAEXPO highlights and promotes the further development of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA), and has become an important venue for discourse. Although the Xinhua news agency reported that Mr. Xi would be attending the opening ceremony, it is not certain if he will be meeting with the other leaders scheduled to attend, among them Myanmar President Thein Sein.
The event, a joint venture between the ministries of commerce, trade and industry of China and the 10 ASEAN countries is organised by the People’s Government of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China. This is the only region of China that borders the ASEAN bloc by both land and sea. Nanning, known as China’s green city, is coincidentally close to the Chinese word guanxi, meaning special relationships and benefits from social connections.
The conference has traditionally been very beneficial for those involved, with last year’s total CAEXPO trade concluded at $1.8 billion along with $7.42 billion of international economic cooperation projects. The ASEAN-China Free Trade Area itself is the largest of its kind by population, and third overall in terms of nominal GDP after the European Economic Area and the North American Free Trade Area.
This year, hopefully peaceful cooperation is the only item on the agenda, as Japan, Taiwan and Australia will also take part in the chance to woo enterprises from fields ranging from agricultural products to, literally, the kitchen sink.
Recent anti-Japanese demonstrations over the disputed ownership of the Diaoyu Islands (Senkaku in Japanese) have gradually been escalating with ultra nationalists resorting to violence in some parts of the country. The islands in question are also claimed by Taiwan along with China and Japan. The potential for the flashpoint to erupt and the questionably healthy appearance of Xi promises to make this event one closely scrutiniSed and watched by the international media, as well as business communities in the China-ASEAN FTA.
Hopes for the development of ACFTA into a larger free trade region via EAFTA (East Asian Free Trade Agreement – ASEAN plus 3 countries) or CEPEA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership in East Asia – ASEAN plus 6 countries) could be on the line if the island dispute is not handled well.
Aside from actual territorial integration issues, one aspect that ACFTA aims to improve upon is regulating standards in accordance to international levels in order to achieve high product quality. Higher quality products will in turn provide domestic companies with a chance to hold on to domestic and global market shares.
The wider international community is not to be ignored, even at this regional event.
“For us, it is our task to attract more companies (to CAEXPO) from China and ASEAN as well as from all over the world. So we sent some groups to North America and Europe to let more businesses take part in our expo.” Wang Lei, Vice Secretary-General of CAEXPO Secretariat, told reporters after a seminar on the event in Malaysia earlier this year.
“We want this expo to become a platform to promote China and ASEAN businesses,” he added.
This year’s theme for the expo is “Science and Technology Cooperation,” and with Apple’s recent big win over Samsung, along with China’s notorious counterfeit Apple products, the goal is to promote increased standards of intellectual property rights.
