| Mr. An Min Accepting Media Interview on Issue of China-ASEAN Expo. |
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| 2004-10-21 08:28 MOFCOM |
On Oct. 21, An Min, Vice Minister of Commerce accepted the interview of reporters and answered questions put forward by reporters on coming China-ASEAN Expo.
Q: First China-ASEAN Expo. is to be held, Could you briefly introduce the process of advocating? And what's the aim？
A: On Oct. 8, 2003, Premier Wen Jiabao put forward suggestions at the 7th China-ASEAN Summit that starting from 2004, China-ASEAN Expo. would be held in Nanning, Guangxi each year. Which is a specific action for Chinese government to deepen the strategic partnership facing with peace and prosperity with ASEAN countries in an all-round way, to push forward China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone Negotiation and to expedite the process of establishing the Zone. The advocating was well received by leaders of attended ASEAN countries.
China-ASEAN Expo. is sponsored together by the Ministry of Commerce of PRC, departments of trade and economy of 10 ASEAN countries and ASEAN Secretariat, supported by Guangxi Autonomous Regional government. It will focus on Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation between China and ASEAN signed by leaders of China and 10 ASEAN countries in Nov. 2002, insist on the principle of mutual benefits, attach importance to inner cooperation of trade and economy in the Free Trade Zone, combine imports and exports, "Bringing Home" with "Going Global", cargo trade and service trade, activities of trade and economy and cultural exchange, endeavor to complement each other's advantages between China and ASEAN countries and deepen cooperation of trade and economy to realize common prosperity in the Zone in the process of establishing China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone.
Q: What's the main content and major activity of the first Expo? How about the work of preparation and invitation of the exhibition?
A: The first Expo. will be held on Nov. 3 to 6 in Nanning, Guangxi. Wu Yi, Vice Premier of the State Council, will act as the Honorary Director of Organizing Committee, Mr. Bo Xilai, Minister of Commerce, act as the Director, and Trade and Economic Ministers of 10 ASEAN countries and Secretary-General of ASEAN will be invited as directors.
China-ASEAN Expo. will provide a platform for bilateral and multi-lateral trade and economic cooperation between China and ASEAN. The first Expo. will consist of 5 parts: cargo trade, investment negotiation, service trade and other cooperation, forum on commerce and investment and cultural exchange.
During the first Expo., China-ASEAN Summit on Commerce and Investment will be held with a theme of "Promoting Mutual Benefit and Cooperation, Seeking for Common Development", focusing on the hot topic of establishment of Free Trade Zone and will invite officials, experts, scholars and entrepreneurs from ASEAN countries to hold communication and dialogues.
The first Expo. has an area of over 60 thousand sq.m. and set up more than 2500 exhibition booths, classifying them by countries and regions, commodities trade, investment, international economic and technological cooperation, tourism and science and technology.
The first Expo. is welcomed by enterprises from China, ASEAN and other countries, supply of exhibition booths fell short of demand. It is predicted that there will be more than 5000 exhibitors from over 2000 enterprises at home and abroad, 40% of which are from ASEAN. Exhibition commodities covers 11 fields and included more than 200 categories of products such as machinery, home appliance, telecommunication, automobile and parts, hardware and construction material, agricultural products, medicine chemistry, light industry and textile etc.
Q: How about the present status and development prospect of China-ASEAN trade and economic cooperation? And what kinds of role will China-ASEAN Expo. play in the trade and economic cooperation?
A: In recent years, bilateral trade and economic cooperation relations between China and ASEAN obtained new progress on the basis of successful development of bilateral friendship.
Since 1990, China-ASEAN trade increased rapidly with an annual growth rate of 20%. In 2003, the bilateral trade amounted to US$78.2 billion, hitting a historical high, up by 90 times compared with that in 1978. ASEAN have been the fifth biggest trading partner of China for 11 years running and the biggest partner among developing countries. In Jan. through Sept., the bilateral trade between China and ASEAN reached US$75.4 billion, up by 35.6% on a year-on-year basis.
At the China-ASEAN Summit Meeting held in 2004, Premier Wen Jiabao put forward the target that bilateral trade breaking through US$100 billion in 2005, and it would be realized from the current development tendency and push forward China-ASEAN Trade and Economic Cooperation to a new stage.
Both China and ASEAN countries made outstanding achievements in mutual benefit and trade and economic cooperation in fields of two-way investment and labor service. By the end of June, value of investment contracts from ASEAN countries reached US$68.55 billion, accounting for 6.7% of total value of foreign investment, the actual investment were US$34 billion, accounting for 6.4%. According to incomplete statistics, non-financial enterprises invested by Chinese enterprises in 10 ASEAN countries totaled 883 with agreed value of US$1.037 billion. Value of project contracting signed by Chinese enterprises in ASEAN countries amounted to US$21.59 billion, and turnover were US$12.8 billion, value of signed contracts on labor service cooperation were US$53.3 billion, turnover were US$5.25 billion.
With the sustainable development of China-ASEAN trade and economic relations and the China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone to be established in the coming days, all-round cooperation on trade and economy on the basis of reciprocity and win-win will enter into a new development stage and the cooperation will be broader.
China-ASEAN Expo. will blaze a new trail to deepen the trade and economic cooperation, will further promote the cooperation with mutual benefit of enterprises in both China and ASEAN countries to provide a platform of commodities transaction, investment negotiation, economic and technological cooperation for enterprises from China, ASEAN countries, other countries and regions in the world so as to promote two-way flow in capital, technology, commodities and service to let them share the interests from trade liberalization and regional economic integration so as to benefit people of both China and ASEAN.
Q: Why did China actively make efforts to establish China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone? Could you please introduce the new progress of the negotiation?
A: Taking a panoramic view on the development tendency of world economy, regional economic integration and economic globalization have been the two major trends in today’s world economic development. To establish China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone is an important strategic and foreseeable decision made by leaders of China and ASEAN after sizing up the situation.
ASEAN countries are good neighbors of China. On Nov. 4, 2002, China and 10 ASEAN countries signed Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation between China and ASEAN, formally launching the establishment of China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone. After the signing of the agreement, the two sides held several rounds of negotiation and exchanged views extensively and deeply on Free Trade Zone, made positive progress.
On Sept. 4, at the China-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting held in Jakarta, capital of India, the two sides reached agreements on main content of cargo trade agreement and made progress in negotiation of Dispute Settlement Mechanism. It is expected to sign the above-said agreements at China-ASEAN Summit to be held in Vientiane, Laos in Nov. 2005.
Besides, at the China-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting held in Sept., ASEAN ministers came to a consensus to recognize China's full market status. Which swept out the biggest obstacle in cargo trade negotiation, positively push forward the progress of establishment of Free Trade Zone and based firmly for the close of negotiation as schedule.
Now, the “Early Harvest Program” under China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone has been implemented and made positive achievements. With the launching of the establishing Free Trade Zone in 2005, bilateral trade will further increase and the close trade and economic cooperation relationship will be enhanced, which will not only benefit the common prospect and development of both China and ASEAN, but also contribute to the economic development of Asia and even the whole world.
(Source: Network Center of MOFCOM)
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