Addressing the opening ceremony of the 20th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO 2023) and the 20th China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit 2023 (CABIS 2023) in Nanning, Guangxi, Chinh said after 20 editions, CAEXPO and CABIS have become symbols and major flagships of China-ASEAN economic, trade and investment cooperation. The past 20 years have witnessed major breakthroughs in China-ASEAN relations; bilateral trade, which grew from only US$78.2 billion in 2003 to US$975.6 billion in 2022, will make China and ASEAN each other's top trading partners and major investment partners.

To strengthen economic, trade and investment cooperation between ASEAN and China, and make good use of CAEXPO and CABIS mechanisms to bring practical benefits to countries in the region, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh proposed to firmly push forward the balanced and sustainable development of bilateral trade, aiming to make ASEAN China's first trading partner with bilateral trade exceeding US$1 trillion.

In addition, the Vietnamese leader also urged to foster strategic connectivity to develop both hard and soft infrastructure to promote high-quality, harmonious and mutually beneficial connectivity between the Belt and Road and ASEAN's perspective on Indo-Pacific cooperation as perceived by leaders at the recent ASEAN-China Summit.

He said it's important to strengthen the connection of multimodal transport infrastructure, especially railways and highways, to forge greater connectivity with ASEAN countries and expand ASEAN exports to Europe and Central Asia through China.

The two sides should take advantage of their geographical proximity and mutual complementarity to promote practical cooperation for balanced and sustainable development, Minh Chinh said, urging China to open its market wider for Vietnam's agricultural and fishery products. He called on China to create conditions for the early establishment of Vietnam Trade Promotion Offices in Chengdu (Sichuan) and Haikou (Hainan).

He suggested better coordination to improve the efficiency of customs clearance and avoid congestion of goods at the border gates. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that Vietnam is willing to create favorable conditions for Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in Vietnam, especially in large-scale projects with modern technology and high quality. 

The two sides need to strengthen connections in terms of transport and border gate infrastructure, weighing cooperation in the planning and construction of a number of railway lines in the northern region of Vietnam to improve freight transport capacity both between Vietnam and China and through third countries.

Agreeing with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's cooperation proposals, Premier Li Qiang affirmed that China will continue to open its market to Vietnamese products, especially high-quality agricultural and aquatic products, and further expanding the scale and improve trade efficiency by improving border gate infrastructure, enhancing connectivity policies, building smart border gates and promoting local currency payments.

Vietnam Pavilion inaugurated at CAEXPO 2023

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh pushed the button to inaugurate Vietnam's pavilion at the 20th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO 2023) in Nanning City, Guangxi Province, China, today (September 17).

Among the participating ASEAN countries, the Vietnamese pavilion was the largest, with about 200 booths covering an area of nearly 5,000 square meters, showcasing high-quality Vietnamese products and services.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh reiterated that the Government, ministries, agencies and local authorities always stand ready to accompany and support Vietnamese enterprises in their growth in China and in regional and international markets. "Vietnamese enterprises will continue to play an important role and contribute to the country's overall development," he said.