China Daily and Guangxi International Expo Affairs Bureau signs cooperation agreement. (Photo/chinadaily.com)

China Daily, the national English-language newspaper of China, formed a strategic partnership with the China-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Expo on Monday to jointly enhance the expo’s global profile and promote greater cooperation and exchange between China and its Southeast Asian neighbors.

The partnership is also aimed at further promoting China’s proposal to build a new “Maritime Silk Road,” an initiative put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping to strengthen the country’s ties with ASEAN member states and jointly create a major economic belt in the region.

“The Chinese government has made the ASEAN region one of its diplomatic priorities, and the China-ASEAN Expo has been attracting greater international attention,” said Qu Yingpu, deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily, at the signing ceremony in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

“China Daily is willing to substantially utilize its international communication resources and brand influence to provide services to the expo through its traditional print product, website, mobile applications and overseas social network platforms,” Qu said.

The agreement was signed before the opening of the 11th China-ASEAN Expo, which will be held in Nanning from Tuesday to Friday. The expo is an annual regional trade and investment fair that was first proposed by former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in 2003.

Qu said the partnership with the China-ASEAN Expo will achieve fruitful results as it will help contribute to the building of China’s soft power and promote the country’s friendly diplomacy in the region.

China Daily launched its Southeast Asian edition last year with a circulation of more than 250,000 in the region, according to Qu.

Zheng Junjian, secretary-general of the China-ASEAN Expo, said the partnership with China Daily has promise and will achieve win-win results for both sides.

“It will further boost the expo’s international influence and brand awareness as China Daily is the country’s leading media platform that has effectively entered mainstream societies overseas. It is a major window for the world to know and understand China,” Zheng said.

Zheng said that the expo is also willing to provide a necessary platform for Chinese media organizations to promote their brands and products to international markets.

Edited by Michael Thai