Prime Minister Li Qiang reaffirmed on Sunday the commitment of China to a neighborhood policy of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness in bolstering ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, calling for a closer connection between China and the Southeast Asian nations.
The country stands ready to scale up the imports of unique and high-quality products from ASEAN member states and to expand the trading scale of intermediaries, he said at the launch of the 20th China-ASEAN Expo and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment summit.
The expo, which will be held from Sunday to Tuesday in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, has gathered nearly 2,000 businesses from more than 40 countries.
AsEAN leaders and representatives of the business community expressed their confidence, Li said in a statement.
The two sides have been each other's biggest trading partner for three consecutive years since 2020, and trade between China and ASEAN grew by 11.2 percent year-on-year.
The premier emphasized the importance of exploring the potential of new international land and sea trade routes, continuously enhancing regional connectivity, setting up various cooperation demonstration zones, and exploring cooperation in emerging areas such as green and low-carbon initiatives and the digital economy.
China will remain unwavering in its support for an ASEAN-centered regional cooperation framework and will enable a better alignment between the Belt and Road Initiative and ASEAN countries, he said.
Negotiations on version 3.0 of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area are now progressing smoothly, and China stands ready to accelerate the talks, he said, adding: Negotiations on version 3.0 of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area are now progressing smoothly.
In 2024, Li highlighted the China-ASEAN Year of People-to-People Exchanges as a key opportunity to expand cooperation over culture, tourism, and youth, and enhance mutual understanding.
The prime minister also announced that Beijing will continue to push ahead with institutional opening-up, make greater strides in intellectual rights protection and promote fair competition.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said that ASEAN and China can'show the world examples of tangible benefits of strengthening multilateral cooperation without leaning toward protectionism, unilateralism or economic nationalism'.
Hun Manet said that ASEAN and China need to strengthen cooperation and interdependence by further opening markets and improving connectivity, supply chain resilience, supply chain resilience and trade facilitation.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said his country has adopted technologies from both the West and China, and Huawei in particular, in the deployment of 5G.
The decision was made without being threatened or pressured because we work based on trust and confidence of centuries of relationships, he said.
The strong momentum of cooperation between China and ASEAN has buoyed the confidence of business leaders at the Nanning expo.
China General Technology Holding's General Manager Lu Yimin said that Li's speech on Sunday showed the way for China and ASEAN to adhere to openness and inclusiveness to build a friendly and sustainable partnership and uphold mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.
Lu added that his company is continuing to deepen cooperation with ASEAN member states in green and low-carbon development, circular economy and healthcare.
The event and the summit have offered the company a good platform for international communication and client exploration, according to Li Dongchun, the senior director of Guangxi Liugong Machinery's international business center.