Deeper Sino-ASEAN ties promise tangible benefits

China's continued effort to advance high-standard opening-up and deepen cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will inject fresh momentum into regional economic integration and create broader development opportunities for businesses across the region, officials and business executives said on Thursday.

Their comments came as the 23rd China-ASEAN Expo and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit opened in Nanning, the capital of South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

As 2026 marks the fifth anniversary of the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership, and is also a crucial year for accelerating the implementation of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol, the events are themed "CAFTA 3.0 Opportunities, Better Life".

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang called for comprehensively elevating the level of regional openness and accelerating the building of an open, inclusive and rules-based integrated regional market.

Ding, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, called for efforts to upgrade trade and investment cooperation to jointly safeguard the stability of regional and global industrial and supply chains.

Efforts should be made to solidify cooperation in emerging sectors, including the digital economy and artificial intelligence, he said.

Ding also called for coordinated efforts to advance the construction of infrastructure, including railways, highways, ports and airports.

The expo and summit have attracted more than 3,400 enterprises from over 70 countries and regions. The number of participating companies has increased 5.3 percent compared with the previous edition.

China has remained ASEAN's largest trading partner for 17 consecutive years, while ASEAN has been China's largest trading partner for six years in a row. The value of bilateral trade topped $1 trillion for the first time in 2025.

Vice-Minister of Commerce Yan Dong, who also attended the opening ceremony, said China will actively promote the early implementation of CAFTA 3.0 to deliver more equitable benefits, adding that the Commerce Ministry is willing to work with ASEAN members to continuously enlarge the pie of economic and trade cooperation.

Kao Kim Hourn, secretary-general of ASEAN, said it is important to ensure that all enterprises, especially micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, can see tangible benefits offered in the upgraded protocol and participate more broadly in regional supply chains.

This year's China-ASEAN Expo features several new initiatives to boost practical collaboration. Timor-Leste is participating in the expo for the first time as a co-host, bringing all 11 ASEAN member states together in Nanning.

Chen Gang, Party secretary of Guangxi, said a new exhibition model has been introduced this year, allowing large enterprises to lead and support smaller ones in their participation. He also highlighted the debut of a future space and tech enterprise empowerment exhibition zone.

For businesses, deepening China-ASEAN ties are already creating tangible opportunities.

Zheng Jin, chairman of construction machinery manufacturer Guangxi Liugong Group Co, noted that cooperation with ASEAN is shifting from product sales to collaborative development across industrial, service and innovation chains.

"We are accelerating our transition from exporting products to exporting entire industries," Zheng said, adding that the company is currently building a green, smart factory in Indonesia to further localize manufacturing, services and parts supply.

Deng Caidie, president of Maiyue Tech, pointed out that ASEAN members are accelerating their digital transformation despite challenges, such as language barriers and a shortage of local tech talent. "This is exactly where our market opportunity lies," she said.

Maiyue Tech is partnering with universities in Malaysia and enterprises in Vietnam to advance AI education and computing projects, Deng said.

Contact the writers at renqi@chinadaily.com.cn