showcase their own commodities and services respectively.
The 15 th CAEXPO totally attracted 2780 exhibiting
companies, more than that of the previous session. 91 trade
and investment events were held on sidelines, plus with
national investment promotion seminars of the participating
countries, Roundtable Meeting on Investment Cooperation,
Promotion Conference on ASEAN Industrial Parks and
Networking between Chinese Economic and Commercial
Counselors and Chinese Entrepreneurs, etc. All these events
have effectively promote business cooperation and helped
get those projects off the ground.
Southern Transport Corridor under the China-Singapore
(Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic
Connectivity (CCI) was advanced. An array of activities were
arranged to help establish relevant working mechanisms
and deepen collaboration among the Chinese provinces/
municipalities along the Southern Transport Corridor. These
activities included an image display zone, a roundtable
meeting on international supply chain cooperation, a B2B
meeting on logistics of agro-based products along the
corridor, promotion conferences on Chengdu, Guiyang and
other places involved.
International production capacity cooperation was
deepened and expanded. The series events including larger
and more professional exhibition and more specialized forums
and promotion conferences, delivered richer outcomes.
Those specialized forums and conferences covering building
materials, infrastructure and electric power and investment/
fund-raising seminars and project signing ceremonies helped
put relevant projects into place.
The cooperation region was further expanded. It is the
very first time that the CAEXPO invited an African country,
which is also a gateway to the continent for the Belt and
Road countries, as its Special Partner Country. Tanzania, as
the Special Partner Country of the 15 th CAEXPO, showcased
its national images and hosted a promotion conference,
strengthening the cooperation between the countries along
Belt and those along the Road. The BRI and International
Pavilion housed 114 companies from 19 countries including
Tanzania, Australia, Germany, Italy and Spain, etc. Buying
missions representing 70 countries and regions worldwide
came and visited. Australia and other non-CAFTA economies
hosted their business matching and promotion events at the
CAEXPO for expanding cooperation with China and ASEAN
countries.
Practical outcomes were achieved by exchange programs
on different fields. 23 of the 35 high-end forums and
conferences under the CAEXPO framework were held during
the fair period, which helped establish more cooperation
mechanisms, launched or implemented projects, and
enriched the Nanning Channel for the China-ASEAN
cooperation and translate the consensus on building the 21 st
Century Maritime Silk Road into actions in all relevant fields .
A host of people-to-people and cultural exchanges were also
conducted on sidelines.
Supporting facilities and services were upgraded and
improved significantly. High-end caterers and more explicit
directions inside and outside the exhibition venue were
introduced; passages for personnel and cargoes were
optimized; the just-opened Howard Johnson CAEXPO Plaza
Nanning, made the exhibition fully functional and better-
equipped; those newly-built roads, underground passages
and overpass improved the transportation network of the
NICEC. All of these facilitated the participation of business
professionals in the event.
CABIS promoted the exchanges between Chinese and
ASEAN business communities
Sideline events of the 15 th CABIS included the Roundtable
Meeting between Cambodian Leader and Chinese CEO, the
China-ASEAN Business Leaders’ Forum, the 1 st Belt and Road
Forum on New Economic Belt Development, the 1 st Belt and
Road Forum for Youth Leaders, the TV program of Dialogue
on the Splendid CABIS over the Past 15 Years, the Awarding
Ceremony and Dinner Marking the 15 th Anniversary of the
CABIS, the China-ASEAN Commercial Laws Cooperation
Seminar and the China-ASEAN Forum on Cross-border
E-commerce Development. These events helped the Chinese
and ASEAN business communities strengthen bilateral
cooperation in economy, trade, investment, connectivity,
production capacity and many other fields, thus to advance
the upgrading of the CAFTA and bring more benefits for the
businesses and peoples of both sides.
The CAEXPO grew more influential within the region and
beyond
Statistics showed that 1570 journalists with 171 media
came and covered the 15 th CAEXPO. Among them, 611 ones
with 60 media were from ASEAN and other countries. The
participating media promoted the economic advantages of
the ASEAN countries in building the upgraded version of the
China-ASEAN FTA and the Belt and Road and the enormous
opportunities thus brought. NICE TV from Cambodia,
the Country of Honor of the 15 th CAEXPO, conducted live
broadcast on the country’s participation in the 15 th CAEXPO,
which is the first-ever live broadcast on the event in another
country.
At the CAEXPO Senior Officials’ Meeting held on
September 14 th , participants agreed that the 16 th CAEXPO
will be tentatively held on September 20 th - 23 rd , 2019.
Indonesian representative confirmed that Indonesia will be
Country of Honor for the 16 th CAEXPO 2019. The 16 th CABIS
will be held along with the 16 th CAEXPO.
The 15 th CAEXPO was concluded with great success. The
CAEXPO will move ahead more steadily to serve the BRI and
the China-ASEAN exchanges and cooperation.
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