On July 26, a press conference of the 8th China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (CABIS) was held at the State Council Information Office. Mr. Wang Jinzhen, vice chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), gave an introduction on the preparation of the 8th CABIS.
The theme of the 8th CABIS is Deepening Regional Cooperation for Common Prosperity. The year 2011 marks the 20th anniversary of the China-ASEAN dialogue relations, the China-ASEAN Friendship and Exchange Year and the 2nd year after the realization of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA). The 8th CABIS gives its focus on the prospects and opportunities of furthering practical industries cooperation in this region for common prosperity.
The 8th CABIS will have the following activities.
1. Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony will be held on the afternoon of October 21. It will see an attendance of 1,500 participants, including state leaders from China and ASEAN and dignitaries from international and regional organizations. The Opening Ceremony will be addressed respectively by state leaders from ASEAN and a Chinese state leader with a key-note speech.
2. Round-Table Dialogue between Malaysia State Leader and CEOs from China
The Dialogue will be conducted on the afternoon of October 21. The Malaysia state leader to attend the CABIS will be invited to have constructive dialogue with CEOs from China on bilateral economic and trade relations. The dialogue meeting will be enriched by an interaction between government officials, business leaders, experts and journalists from China and ASEAN. The attendance will be around 250.
3. China-ASEAN Business Leaders Forum
The Forum will be on the morning of October 22. Business leaders of chambers of commerce from China and ASEAN will be invited to have discussions and exchange views about promoting regional industrial cooperation.
4. 2011 China-ASEAN Telecommunications Forum
It will be held on the afternoon of October 22. Leaders of China and ASEAN authorities, companies, equipment manufacturers and international service providers in telecommunications field will be invited to share their experiences via a panel discussion for better services to CAFTA. Cooperation agreements will be signed at this Forum. The attendance will be around 200.
5. Inauguration of China-ASEAN Plaza
It will be held on the morning of October 22. In order to meet an increasing demand of rapidly growing trade between China and ASEAN, the China-ASEAN Plaza will be set up in Nanning, with all-round support of CCPIT, the China Chamber of International Commerce and the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The China-ASEAN Plaza, a coming world-class distributing and logistics centre for industrial raw materials and commodities in the region, will serve suppliers and buyers in China and ASEAN.
6. Business Breakfast
The Business Breakfast will be staged from 8:00-10:30 a.m. on October 22. It will host about 300 guests to the 8th CABIS, including government and business representatives, as well as dignitaries from international and regional organizations. This breakfast meeting intends to provide chances for free interaction among CABIS guests and some business promotions such as product showcases and business matching.
7. International Exhibition of Painting and Calligraphy
The Exhibition will be held from October 20 to 26. It will be an interactive platform for painters and calligraphers from China and ASEAN to promote cultural exchanges in this region.
8. 2011 China-ASEAN Mining Cooperation Forum and Exhibition
As one of the serial programmes of the 8th CABIS, it was held in Nanning from May 30 to June 1 this year and concluded in a fruitful and practical success with 1,128 participants, achieving exhibitions of 35,000-square-metres, projects contracts worth 21.4 billion yuan and trade contracts worth 350 million yuan. It has become one of the only two international cooperation events in the mining industry held in China, an encouraging example of deepening industrial cooperation between China and ASEAN.
CABIS has become an important platform for high-level dialogue, economic and trade promotion between China and ASEAN. To accelerating the development of CAFTA and contributing to the overall progress of the China-ASEAN strategic partnership, CABIS Organizing Committee will bring the current mechanism of communication and cooperation into full play to hold a better CABIS with actual effect and the priority to strengthen a practical cooperation in industrial and commercial circles so as to fulfill the demands of the development of regional industries, in the spirits of pursuing pragmatism, innovation and sustainable development,
Also attended the press conference are Mr. Gao Hucheng, International Trade Representative and Vice Minister of Commerce of China, and Mr. Chen Wu, member of the Standing Committee, CPC Guangxi Committee and Vice Governor of Guangxi.