China to promote commerce with ASEAN countries

By：Xinhua Update：2019-09-26

NANNING, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- The 4th China-ASEAN Chambers of Commerce Leaders Summit will kick off on Sept. 20 in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, local authorities said on Thursday.

About 300 government officials, business leaders and scholars from both home and abroad are expected to attend the summit, according to the regional investment promotion agency.

Themed on building a new pattern of all-round opening up to support the Belt and Road construction, this year's summit will aim at establishing a long-term mechanism for dialogue and cooperation among chambers of commerce in China, ASEAN and other countries and regions.

China has been the largest trading partner of ASEAN for 10 consecutive years, while ASEAN became China's second-largest trading partner in the first half of 2019, with bilateral trade up 4.2 percent year on year to 291.85 billion U.S. dollars in H1, according to China's Ministry of Commerce.

Investment between China and ASEAN countries has also witnessed stellar growth to reach 205.71 billion U.S. dollars at the end of 2018.