On September 3, 2014, the CAEXPO Strategic & Industry Partners Signing Ceremony and Press Conference was held in Nanning.

China Resources (Group) Co, China Everbright (Group) Corporation, Guangxi Investment Group Co, China Tobacco Guangxi Industrial Co, and China Mobile Guangxi Company have become strategic partners of the 11th China - ASEAN Expo. Thirteen enterprises, including China Merchants Group Co, Poly Property Group Co and Tianjin Airlines Co, have become industry partners. Zhang Xiaoqin, vice-governor of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, attended the signing ceremony and awarded honorary plaques to partner companies.

2014 marks the beginning of the “Diamond Decade” of China-ASEAN cooperation as well as the start of construction of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

The China-ASEAN Expo has been classified as "National A-Level Convention & Exhibition." At a new starting point, the CAEXPO, which will be held from September 16 to 19, highlights the theme of "Jointly Building the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road." By expanding cooperation fields and areas and extending and improving the exhibition value chain, the upgraded CAEXPO will serve "policy coordination, road connection, monetary circulation, unimpeded trade and mutual understanding between peoples."

At the press conference, Zheng Junjian, secretary-general of the China-ASEAN Expo secretariat, said that among the cooperative partners of the CAEXPO during the previous 10 years, there are Global 500 enterprises from both China and ASEAN countries, large domestic enterprises directly under the central government, leading enterprises in various industries, and small and medium-sized private enterprises.

They provide a powerful driving force for the development of the CAEXPO. Making full use of its cooperation platform, channels and abundant resources, the China-ASEAN Expo provides comprehensive multi-level services to its partners by actively looking for business opportunities for them to develop new markets and expand brand influence.

Via the platform of the CAEXPO, cooperative partners get to explore the international market of the China-ASEAN FTA, expand marketing channels, enhance enterprise brand image, promote business development and achieve mutual benefits. Zheng said that the CAEXPO has expanded cooperation fields and areas with larger development space.

More channels will be used to create more business opportunities for cooperative partners in the upgrading of the China-ASEAN FTA. With more space for development, in-depth cooperation between partners and ASEAN and RCEP countries will be enhanced in more fields.

Representatives of the cooperative partners, namely Peng Fangqing, chief representative of China Resources Group in Guangxi; Zhu Xiaoqing, vice-president of China Everbright Bank, Nanning Branch; Lin Guan, president of Guangxi Investment Group Co; and He Zhili, deputy general manager of China Mobile Guangxi Company, spoke at the news conference.

They believed that with the expansion of cooperation fields and areas of the China-ASEAN Expo, the cooperation prospects between enterprises and the CAEXPO will broaden. They all expressed their willingness in giving their own advantages full play to serve the CAEXPO to help upgrade the China-ASEAN FTA and contribute to the early harvest of pilot projects in key areas in building the “Maritime Silk Road.”

There are 69 cooperative partners of this CAEXPO, among which 19 are industry partners. Guangxi Investment Group and China Mobile Guangxi Company have been strategic partners for 11 and 10 consecutive years, respectively. China Resources (Group) Co and China Everbright (Group) Corporation, who became cooperative partners last year, are now upgrading to strategic partners as they strengthen their support to the CAEXPO. Bank of China Guangxi Branch has been the leading bank for 11 consecutive years. China Merchants Group Co, Poly Property Group Co, Tianjin Airlines Co, Bank of Beijing, China Pacific Insurance (Group) Co and Liuzhou LMZ Company have become partners again.

The cooperative partners cover a wide range of industries including machinery manufacturing, financial investment, transportation and real estate. They fully showcase the increasingly prominent effect of the CAEXPO in trade and economic promotion and cooperation of various fields, as well as its expanding international influence and market attractiveness.

Edited by Michael Thai