Excellency,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentleman,

It is my great pleasure joining you all today. On behalf of the World Trade Organization, I would like to congratulate the opening of the 12th China-ASEAN Expo.

2015 is definitely a year of significance. This year, the WTO celebrates its 20th Anniversary and 2015 is also the year ASEAN leaders aim to establish the ASEAN Community, which is expected to bring long term stability and prosperity to the region. In the past as well as the present, trade has always been the key driving force behind the development of this region, and the theme chosen for this year's Summit is most relevant.

Over the past 20 years, East Asia has been the most dynamic and fastest growing region in the world. We are proud to witness the accessions of China, Cambodia, Vietnam and Lao PDR to the WTO, which have proved to be huge successes, both for the WTO and for the region. Today, ASEAN countries and China are indispensable drivers of world economy and leading voices in the WTO. For decades, the multilateral trading system has provided an open, transparent and rule-based trade environment for East Asia to achieve its rapid growth, and in return, the active participation of East Asia in global trade policy making has made a stronger WTO.

The WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement has provided a good example in this regard. It was reached at the WTO Bali Ministerial in December 2013, thanks to the leadership of the host country Indonesia, as well as the strong support extended by ASEAN as a whole and China.

The new Agreement will only enter into force once two-thirds of the WTO membership has formally accepted it. So far, 16 Members have officially ratified the Agreement, including Malaysia, Singapore and China from this region. I would encourage other ASEAN members to ratify the Protocol of the new Agreement as soon as possible so as to facilitate its full implementation.

Finally, I would like to say that the China-ASEAN Expo have made great contributions in promoting trade and investment opportunities, as well as facilitating regional integration. Its bridging role in connecting enterprises of the region with the rest of the world, as well as its endeavour to strengthen ASEAN-China cooperation is widely recognized and appreciated.

I wish the EXPO a great success.

Thank you.