The Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The upcoming 17th China-ASEAN Expo, China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit will provide new opportunities for deepening China-ASEAN cooperation

Regular Press Conference on November 3, 2020, a journalist raised a question, “We noticed that China and ASEAN have kept close interaction even after the COVID-19 broke out. The third event of the Jakarta Forum on China-ASEAN Relations was held only recently, and the 17th China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit will be held at the end of this month in Nanning, Guangxi Province. How do you see the prospect of China-ASEAN cooperation?”

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mr. Wang Wenbin responded, China and ASEAN are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers. The COVID-19 pandemic, instead of obstructing bilateral exchange and cooperation, has brought China-ASEAN relations deeper. President Xi Jinping had phone calls with many ASEAN leaders. The two sides also held the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), leading regional effort in fighting the pandemic. China opened "fast tracks" and "green lanes" to facilitate the flow of people and goods with many ASEAN countries, so as to accelerate resumption of work and production, advance steady and quality BRI cooperation, and inject strong impetus into stabilizing regional industrial and supply chains and boosting regional economic recovery.

Since the beginning of this year, economic and trade cooperation between China and ASEAN has risen against the odds. In the first three quarters of this year, two-way trade reached $481.8 billion, accounting for one seventh of China's total foreign trade. China's direct investment in ASEAN countries reached $10.7 billion, up by 76.6 percent year on year, fully demonstrating the strong resilience and huge potential of our cooperation. The upcoming China International Import Expo, China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit will provide new opportunities for deepening China-ASEAN cooperation.

China will work with ASEAN countries to promote exchanges and cooperation in the post-COVID period. Taking the opportunity of the 30th anniversary of China-ASEAN dialogue relations next year, we will work to elevate bilateral relations to a new level. We will also continue firmly upholding ASEAN centrality in regional cooperation and adding new impetus to stability and prosperity in East Asia.

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