The 12th China (Sichuan) - South Asia & Southeast Asia Business Leaders Summit, the main event of the 19th West China International Expo, was held on June 28 with the theme of "Share the Opportunities of the Era, Create Prosperity of the Region. " The China-ASEAN Business Council Sichuan Liaison Office was unveiled at the event, according to China Economic Net (CEN). Sponsored by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Sichuan Provincial People’s Government, SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and ASEAN-China Centre, the summit discussed the potential of bilateral and multilateral economic and trade cooperation, focusing on major opportunities such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the Chengdu-Chongqing Twin City Economic Circle, the RCEP Agreement, and the New Western Land-sea Corridor construction. 

Mrs. Lei Xuejie, Vice President of CCPIT Sichuan Council, moderated the session. In recent years, practical cooperation across various fields between China and South and Southeast Asian countries has deepened, maintaining a sound momentum of economic and trade exchanges.  China and ASEAN have been each other’s largest trading partner for three consecutive years. Two-way trade reached RMB6.52 trillion last year, marking a 15% year-on-year increase. Meanwhile, the RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) has come into full force for 15 signatories, injecting a strong impetus to regional development and prosperity, according to Yu Jianlong, Vice Chairman of CCPIT.
 
He mentioned that cooperation on major projects between China and South and Southeast Asian countries has also yielded fruitful results. He underlined that “the China-Laos Railway, the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway in Indonesia, Gwadar Port operation in Pakistan and other projects have been successfully launched. These projects have helped deepen cooperation in relevant projects and brought tangible benefits to the people of relevant countries.”
 
Highlighting that Sichuan is a strategic link and core hinterland supporting the construction of the “Belt and Road Initiative” and the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Yang Xingping, Vice Governor of Sichuan Provincial People’s Government, noted that in 2022, the total import and export volume between Sichuan and South and Southeast Asian countries exceeded RMB 215.8 billion, accounting for about one-fifth of the province's total import and export volume that year.
 
In his keynote address, Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, Muhammad Mudassir Tipu, affirmed China’s leading role in regional economic cooperation and highlighted the significant development opportunities brought to Pakistan by CPEC. “In the future, China, South Asia, and Southeast Asia as a whole will surely play a more important role in the world, and we are working together to translate today's ideas and insights into reality,” he added.
 

The summit was attended by high-level government officials, business associations, and corporate representatives from South and Southeast Asia, including Secretary-General of the ASEAN-China Centre, Chandi Raj Dhakal, and Acting President of the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Malaithong Kommasith. Various offline interaction activities, such as symposiums, business opportunity promotions, and business docking, were held to build a practical exchange cooperation platform for industrial and commercial institutions in the region.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP