Developing With Friends

By Huang Jiangqin

CIIE is expected to leverage its role as a platform for advancing high-standard opening-up to ensure China’s big market is shared by all

Matrix 1,a two-ton manned electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft independently developed by Chinese startup Vertaxi on display at the sixth CIIE on November 6,2023.(VCG)

From November 5 to 10,the sixth China International Import Expo (CIIE),themed “New Era,Shared Future,” took place in Shanghai.It was the first fully offline edition of CIIE since the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year,69 countries and three international organizations participated in the Country Exhibition,with 11 countries participating for the first time and 34 countries participating offline for the first time.Sheng Qiuping,Chinese vice minister of commerce,said at a news conference that the sixth CIIE would cover over 367,000 square meters and feature participation from a record 289 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry-leading businesses.The expo’s circle of friends has continuously expanded.

Since 2018,Chinese President Xi Jinping has delivered keynote speeches at the opening ceremonies of the previous five editions of the CIIE.This year,President Xi sent a letter to the expo,in which he expressed the hope that the expo would “fully leverage its role as a platform for advancing highstandard opening-up to make China’s big market a market shared by all.”

In the face of sluggish global economic recovery,all countries need to work together to overcome difficulties and achieve common development.China has a population of more than 1.4 billion,a per capita GDP of over US$12,000,and a middle-income group of over 400 million.China has been the world’s second largest consumer market,largest online retail market,and second largest import market for 14 consecutive years.The Chinese economy is basically stable with good fundamentals for long-term growth,and the dividends of opening-up have provided new opportunities for the world.The success of the sixth CIIE demonstrated China’s firm determination to promote highlevel opening-up and build an open world economy.

Xie Yi,deputy secretary-general of the China Federation of Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs,senior vice chairman of the Charoen Pokphand Group (CP),and deputy general manager and CEO of the CP Investment Company,said that the CIIE has become an important platform for international exchange and cooperation by playing a vital rolein promoting the high-level opening-up and boosting both domestic and international circulation to bring more market opportunities to countries around the world.

The 2023 edition of Yangtze River Delta Overseas Chinese Industrial Innovation and Investment Promotion Handbook is released in Shanghai on November 7.(CHINESE FEDERATION OF OVERSEAS CHINESE)

Popular ASEAN Fruits

As always,tropical fruits from ASEAN countries such as golden pineapples,bright red apples,and emerald green avocados attracted the most visitors and buyers at the food and agricultural products exhibition area of the expo.

Dole Asia Holdings Pte.Ltd.,headquartered in Singapore,has attended all the expos since the first in 2018.At this expo,the company brought papaya from the Philippines,which had just obtained access to China.

For Dole,the CIIE is an important stage to launch new products.The company has presented nine fruits over the past five editions of the expo including muskmelon,avocado,and red pear,all of which have become popular among Chinese consumers.Wang Na,market director of Dole China,said the continuous optimization of business environment is making China an increasingly important market for Dole.

Statistics from the China Chamber of Commerce of Import & Export of Foodstuffs,Native Produce & Animal By-Products showed that the top ten countries/regions exporting fresh and processed fruits to China were Thailand,Chile,Vietnam,the Philippines,New Zealand,Peru,Cambodia,South Africa,Indonesia,and Malaysia,accounting for 90.93 percent of China’s imports of such products.ASEAN countries account for more than half of the top ten.

Thanks to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and relevant preferential policies,Dole has brought more fruits into the Chinese market.On January 7,2023,the Chinese General Administration of Customs released a notice allowing imports of fresh durian from the Philippines that meet relevant requirements,which gave the Philippines the same market access as Thailand and Vietnam.Three months later,a cargo plane carrying 18 tons of Puya durian from the Philippines arrived in China.Dole was one of the first companies to introduce durian from the Philippines to China.

“Over the last five years,the CIIE has significantly promoted the brand awareness of Dole in China,” commented Makoto Sawanoi,president of Dole Fresh Produce Group.“It has opened more channels and expanded the business circle for the group.Today,China has become the world’s second largest consumer market and the largest trading country.” He credited the CIIE with both creating value for exhibitors during the six days of exhibition and producing comprehensive,multi-dimensional spillover effects for business enterprises year-round.

New Opportunities

The sixth CIIE coincided with the 10th anniversary of the BRI.Participating countries have become increasingly enthusiastic about the expo.More than 1,500 enterprises from countries along the Belt and Road participated in this expo in 30 percent more exhibition area than the previous edition.

Since the official opening of the China-Laos Railway,a landmark project of Belt and Road cooperation,on December 3,2021,25 provinces,municipalities and autonomous regions in China have operated international freight trains on the cross-border railway.As of October 3,the railway had provided cargo transportation services for 12 BRI partner countries including Laos,Thailand,Vietnam,and Myanmar.The railway has become a safe and efficient international logistics channel connecting China and Laos with other countries in the region.On October 8,an international freight train jointly opened by Yunnan and Shanghai was launched to connect Shanghai in China with Vientiane in Laos,writing a new chapter of Belt and Road cooperation.

The Lingang Exhibition Area in Hall 3H of the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Shanghai) was the site for the most distinctive exhibition of the Mohan-Boten Economic Cooperation Zone & China-Laos Railway.More than a dozen businesses from Laos,Thailand,and Vietnam,including Kasikornbank and PTT Lubricants from Thailand,exhibited their achievements in the cooperation zone and along the railway.

Dole bananas,pineapples,avocados,and kiwi fruits displayed at the vegetable,fruit and agricultural products exhibition area of the sixth CIIE in Shanghai on November 5,2023.(VCG)

In the exhibition area,the red model railway and railway station were particularly eye-catching.Other exhibitors and visitors alike took photos in front of the models.“The design of the exhibition area is spectacular and makes people feel like they were traveling on the China-Laos Railway,” said one visitor.

“We are very happy to attend this expo as an exhibitor,” said Wu Xuming,chief of the Shanghai Branch of the Kasikornbank (China) Company Limited.“Operation of the China-Laos Railway has brought China,Laos,and Thailand closer,which will create more cooperation opportunities and financial needs.I’m sure there will be more opportunities for cooperation in the zone and beyond.”

A video program on the construction of Mohan International Port City was screened in the Lingang Exhibition Area,which attracted a lot of exhibitors and visitors.One exhibitor searched on his mobile phone for more information about Mohan.He discovered that the Mohan-Boten Economic Cooperation Zone was the second cross-border economic cooperation zone jointly established by China and its neighboring countries,that Kunming has become the only provincial capital city in China with “both border lines and border ports,” and that Kunming enjoys the advantages of “four zones” (a free trade zone,an economic development zone,an integrated bonded zone,and a crossborder cooperation zone).“Thanks to this expo,I learned a lot about Mohan,”he said.“I also found more overseas opportunities and prospects for my business.It has been well worth the visit.”

On the afternoon of November 8,the ASEAN International Supply Chain Service Forum was held in the Lingang Exhibition Area.Participants expressed views on how to leverage the newly launched international freight train service linking Shanghai and Vientiane to promote further opening-up for greater development.

“Kunming is gradually transforming from the terminus of China’s railway network to an international railway hub for South and Southeast Asia,”commented Guo Huaiyuan,deputy secretary-general of the Kunming Municipal People’s Government.In the future,Kunming will work with other parties to tap the full potential of the Shanghai-Vientiane transportation channel to provide support for industrial cooperation between Shanghai and Yunnan as well as for coordinated industrial development between eastern and western regions.

Sakarn Saensopa,commercial consul of the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Shanghai,called the China-Laos Railway a link for economic and trade cooperation and exchange.He noted that Thailand is accelerating efforts to connect Laem Chabang Port with the China-Laos Railway to open a new railway transportation channel,promote connection and integration between Thailand and China,and boost economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

Connecting the World

This year marks the 20th anniversary of China’s accession to the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.Over the years,China and ASEAN have become each other’s largest trading partner,with the volume of two-way trade reaching new heights.China-ASEAN relations have become a vivid example of building a global community with a shared future.

On the afternoon of November 7,an exchange activity between the Chinese business communities of the Yangtze River Delta and overseas Chinese merchants in Southeast Asia took place on the sidelines of the sixth CIIE.Cheng Xueyuan,vice chairman of the Chinese Federation of Overseas Chinese,said that the overseas Chinese business community in Southeast Asia is one of the most active groups of overseas Chinese businesses.It is an important source of foreign direct investment for China and an important bridge for building the China-ASEAN community with a shared future.The Yangtze River Delta is one of China’s regions with the most vibrant economic development,the highest degree of openness,and the strongest capacity of innovation.

A highland of China’s opening up,the Yangtze River Delta is the world’s sixth largest city cluster.It is an economic growth pole with import and export of goods accounting for 35 percent of the country’s total,foreign direct investment accounting for 40 percent of the country’s total,and overseas direct investment accounting for 20 percent of the country’s total.Southeast Asian countries are China’s regional cooperation partners with the most frequent economic and trade exchange,largest population of overseas Chinese,and largest demand for infrastructure improvement.

Statistics from the China Chamber of Commerce of Import & Export of Foodstuffs,Native Produce&Animal By-Products showed that the top ten countries/regions exporting fresh and processed fruits to China were Thailand,Chile,Vietnam,the Philippines,New Zealand,Peru,Cambodia,South Africa,Indonesia,and Malaysia,accounting for 90.93 percent of China’s imports of such products.ASEAN countries account for more than half of the top ten.

It is an economic growth pole with import and export of goods accounting for 35 percent of the country’s total,foreign direct investment accounting for 40 percent of the country’s total,and overseas direct investment accounting for 20 percent of the country’s total.

“There is a strong correlation,dependence,and complementarity between the Yangtze River Delta and Southeast Asia in fields of economics,trade,and investment,” commented Wang Xiaohan,executive vice chairman of the Shanghai Federation of Industry and Commerce.“Private enterprises are important entities for promoting high-quality development and the best cooperation partners for the overseas Chinese business community in Southeast Asia.I hope that the overseas Chinese business community will promote greater cooperation and exchange with private enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta through cooperation projects to introduce more new technologies and new forms of business to China while offering assistance for high-quality enterprises and projects from the Yangtze River Delta to go global.”

The 2023 edition of Yangtze River Delta Overseas Chinese Industrial Innovation and Investment Promotion Handbook was released at the meeting.The Shanghai Federation of Overseas Chinese and Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce worked with counterparts in Jiangsu,Zhejiang,and Anhui provinces to solicit projects in various industries in the Yangtze River Delta with the intention to cooperate with overseas Chinese businesses in Southeast Asia.After rounds of screening and evaluation,99 projects were selected and compiled into the handbook.Of those,32 are traditional industry projects,24 are digital industry projects,and 43 are science and technology innovation projects.It is a collection of the new ideas,new opportunities,and new technologies from the Yangtze River Delta enterprises in traditional industries,the digital economy,and cutting-edge technology which aims to promote industrial innovation and project cooperation.

Lim Kah Chuan,vice president of the Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia,sees a lot of business opportunities between ASEAN and China.Enhanced economic cooperation and trade relations between the two sides have provided plenty of business opportunities in all industries and fields,which will strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation,promote economic growth,and provide more development opportunities for enterprises.

Wang Xiaohan recognized a solid foundation for exchange and cooperation between the Yangtze River Delta and Southeast Asia.He predicted that in the future,there is a huge space for the two sides to deepen cooperation for coordinated development.

“In the new era,enormous potential with bright prospects for the trade and cooperation between the Yangtze River Delta and Southeast Asian countries is emerging,” said Cheng Xueyuan,vice chairman of the Chinese Federation of Overseas Chinese.