Xinhua News Review | Join Hands with Sincerity to Win a Vast Future

Nanning, September 24th (Xinhua) -- Title: Winning the Vast Future with Sincere Hand in Hand

Xinhua News Agency reporters Huang Quanquan and Huang Haoming

On the 24th, the 21st China ASEAN Expo, with the theme of "Friendship, Sincerity, Benefit, Capacity, and Common Development, Embracing Diamonds to Create a Crown for the Future", opened in Nanning, Guangxi. In the past 21 years, the East Asian Expo has fully played its role as a platform and link, promoting practical cooperation between China and ASEAN in various fields, accelerating the rapid development of bilateral relations, and jointly forging a bright path of good neighborliness, friendship, and win-win cooperation, promoting the construction of a closer China ASEAN community of shared destiny.

We are good neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, and also good partners for win-win cooperation. From January to July this year, the bilateral trade volume between China and ASEAN reached 552 billion US dollars, accounting for 15.8% of China's total foreign trade imports and exports during the same period. China and ASEAN have been each other's largest trading partners for four consecutive years. Trucks loaded with fruits, light industrial products, and other goods shuttle back and forth at the Sino Vietnamese border ports; At the Beibu Gulf Port in Guangxi, a ten thousand ton giant ship sets sail and travels between major ports in ASEAN; Regularly operate flights connecting major cities in ASEAN at major hub airports in China. The prosperous scene of logistics connectivity, smooth trade, and cultural exchange all demonstrate the tremendous vitality of China ASEAN cooperation.

It is a successful example of inspiring vitality and a vivid example of building a community with a shared future for mankind. China and ASEAN countries have strong economic complementarity and broad prospects for cooperation in areas such as infrastructure, digital economy, and green industries. From general goods trade to high-tech project cooperation and standard system development, both parties are continuously deeply integrated in industrial chain, supply chain, value chain and other aspects. The China Laos railway has operated safely for more than 1000 days, upgrading Laos from a "land locked country" to a "land linked country"; The Jakarta Bandung high-speed railway enables efficient connectivity between two major cities in Indonesia, ushering Southeast Asia into the era of high-speed rail; The Hengyi Brunei Damara Petrochemical Project has driven the development of the industrial chain and become an important engine for promoting local economic growth... Each project has taken root and benefited the people. China ASEAN relations have become the most successful and dynamic example of Asia Pacific regional cooperation, and a vivid example of promoting the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Promoting development through openness and winning prosperity through inclusiveness. The world is currently experiencing unprecedented changes, with protectionism and unilateralism on the rise, and the international order and global governance system being impacted. No matter how the situation changes, China and ASEAN have always adhered to deepening cooperation in various fields and maintaining a good momentum of prosperity and development in the region. More than 2000 companies participated in the main exhibition area of this year's East Expo, with over 41% of exhibitors from ASEAN and other regions. There were over 400 Fortune Global 500, China's Top 500, well-known industry enterprises, and growth oriented innovative enterprises, an increase of 15% compared to the previous edition. This fully demonstrates the strong willingness and positive effects of China and ASEAN to continuously expand related cooperation.

Sincerely join hands, the future is promising. China will always adhere to the concept of affinity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, strengthen cooperation with ASEAN countries, continue to promote the joint construction of the "the Belt and Road", strengthen the resilience of the industrial chain, supply chain and logistics chain, resolutely oppose protectionism and politicization of trade and investment, constantly promote common development on the basis of mutual benefit, and jointly safeguard and promote regional peace and prosperity.