The grand opening of the10th CAEXPO and 10th CABIS

The past decade has seen China and ASEAN countries working hard together to reap fruitful results, and they will join hands to move to a glorious future.

The opening ceremony of the 10th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) and the 10th China-ASEAN Business & Investment Summit (CABIS) was solemnly held in Nanning of Guangxi on the morning of Sept 3. The ceremony was grand, impressive and pragmatic.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership. This year’s CAEXPO and CABIS, held at such an important historic juncture, are of great significance to attracting attention.

There were more than 1,000 people present at this pageant, including state leaders and ministers of China and ASEAN countries, the secretary general of the ASEAN, heads of local governments, heads of commercial associations and international organizations of different countries, renowned entrepreneurs and experts of regional economics, and celebrities of various circles.

The leaders who jointly inaugurated the 10th CAEXPO and CABIS were Li Keqiang, premier of China; U Thein Sein, president of the Union of Myanmar; Samdech Hun Sen, prime minister of Cambodia; Thongsing Thammavong, prime minister of Lao PDR; Yingluck Shinawatra, prime minister of Thailand; Nguyen Tan Dung, prime minister of Vietnam; Teo Chee Hean, deputy prime minister of Singapore; Gregory Domingo, secretary of trade and industry of the Philippines; Pehin Dato Awang Haji Yahya, minister of industry and primary resources of Brunei Darussalam; Mustapa bin Mohamed, Malaysian minister of trade and industry; Gusmardi Bustami, director general for national export development of the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia; Le Luong Minh, secretary general of the ASEAN; Zhong Shan, negotiation representative of international trade and vice-minister of commerce of the PRC; Wan Jifei, chairman of the CCPIT; and Peng Qinghua, secretary of the Party committee of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

The opening ceremony, chaired by Chen Wu, governor of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, officially began at 9:30 am.

A one-minute opening video clip was first shown to review the significant process of the past decade’s cooperation.

Peng Qinghua, Zhong Shan and Wan Jifei then addressed the pageant on behalf of the CAEXPO venue, co-organizer and CABIS, respectively.

Premier Li Keqiang delivered a keynote speech.

President U Thein Sein, Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen, Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean and Secretary General Le Luong Minh all gave speeches.

Both form and content of the opening ceremony were creative and pragmatic. The display of recent achievements in China-ASEAN cooperation and speeches of state leaders were arranged alternately. Witnessed by the distinguished guests present, youth representatives of the 11 countries launched the establishment of a China-ASEAN Youth Federation.

Ministers of science of technology of the 11 countries unveiled the China-ASEAN Technology Transfer Center. Representatives of port cities of China and the ASEAN initiated the establishment of a China-ASEAN Port City Network, and representatives of entrepreneurs and those from commercial associations of China and the ASEAN established the China-ASEAN Entrepreneurs’ Association.

Before the opening ceremony, a theme film was played that depicted vividly the cooperation process of China and the ASEAN. In the video clip, the “ship of cooperation” of China and the ASEAN set sail from the Beibu Gulf port of Guangxi to ASEAN countries. Then the video paused, and 15 representative exhibitors, purchasers and other delegates from the 11 countries exited the ship and descended the ladder to the center of the stage with props.

Then Li Keqiang, U Thein Sein, Samdech Hun Sen, Thongsing Thammavong, Yingluck Shinawatra, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, Gregory Domingo, Pehin Dato Awang Haji Yahya, Mustapa bin Mohamed, Gita Wirjawan, Le Luong Minh，Zhong Shan, Wan Jifei and Peng Qinghua all went onto the stage to join the opening ceremony of the 10th CAEXPO and CABIS.

“Now I declare the opening of the 10th China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit!”

With the announcement of Premier Li Keqiang, the distinguished guests picked golden rice, which symbolized the achievements of the 10 years of cooperation, from the baskets on the table. They then sowed the seeds on the “field,” which symbolized the CAFTA. Then they watered the seeds with water collected from the mother rivers of the 11 countries. Nurtured by the “water of cooperation,” the seeds of hope began to take root and sprout. Soon, thousands of green sprouts grew on the stage. The national flowers of the 11 countries flew across the sky, creating a pattern depicting the figure “10+1＞11.” The brief but impressive opening ceremony vividly illustrated the theme “To Create New Glories Based on 10 Years of Cooperation.”

This was the first time that the opening ceremonies of the CAEXPO and CABIS were combined as one. Speeches were, for the first time, simultaneously interpreted into six languages, including English, Cambodian, Lao, Burmese, Thai and Vietnamese.

China and the ASEAN have worked together and reaped fruits over the past 10 years. At the historic juncture of the 10th anniversary of China-ASEAN strategic partnership, China and the 10 ASEAN countries have attached great importance to this grand event this year, sending high-profile delegations and more exhibiting and purchasing delegations than in previous years.

In order to review past achievements and look to the future, a series of commemorative activities approved by the central government will be held during the CAEXPO. Paying more attention to real content and effects, the CAEXPO and CABIS this year will improve their economic benefits, expand regions of cooperation, broaden cooperative fields, and upgrade the function of fueling development by innovating form and contents. The CAEXPO and CABIS this year will be an international grand event featuring more business opportunities, more fruitful results and greater influence.

Edited by Michael Thai