Nanning, China (ANTARA) – Vice President Ma’ruf Amin said the China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) proved the closeness between China’s and ASEAN business players.”For this reason, Indonesia is present at this year’s CAEXPO by presenting the ‘Commodity Pavilion’ that displays superior products such as food, beverages, fashion, and others, and also the ‘City of Charms’ Pavilion represented by Central Kalimantan Province,” Amin said here on Sunday. ccording to the VP, it is important to encourage interaction and networking between ASEAN and Chinese business players. “I invite the guests to visit the two pavilions. Let me once again congratulate the opening of the CAEXPO and the 20th China-ASEAN Business Investment Summit (CABIS) as a productive and tangible cooperation platform for the partnership between ASEAN and Indonesia with China,” he said. He emphasizedthe collaboration between ASEAN and its comprehensive strategic partners such as China must continue to boost economic growth. “Secondly, it is important to strengthen regional economic integration that is mutually beneficial,” he added. He explained that the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) must be strengthened because it will contribute US$187 billion to Southeast Asia’s gross domestic product (GDP). SEAN and China are also negotiating on the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (FTA) 3.0 with a focus on new sectors such as the digital economy, green economy, and market access for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). “We must highlight that amid the pandemic and various global challenges, ASEAN and China’s economic, trade, and investment cooperation continues to grow positively, and ASEAN has become China’s largest trading partner since 2020,” the Vice President stated. The 20th CAEXPO in Nanning, China, is being held on-site on September 16-19, 2023, carrying the theme “Work Together for a Harmonious Home and a Shared Future”. The event will continue to be held online until September 2024 through the CAEXPO platform.

Source: Antara News Agency