From September 17 to 21, the 22nd China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit were held in Nanning, Guangxi. This year's ASEAN Expo focused on displaying new achievements in open cooperation between China and ASEAN, promoting China and ASEAN countries to further deepen pragmatic cooperation in emerging economies, unleash greater development potential, injecting strong impetus into regional economic integration, and injecting more certainty and stability into the world economy.

As an important platform for promoting friendly exchanges between China and ASEAN and deepening regional development cooperation, the ASEAN Expo demonstrates China's firm determination to continuously expand its opening up and witnesses the leapfrog growth of bilateral trade between China and ASEAN. In recent years, China and ASEAN countries have insisted on using cooperation to promote development, trade in goods has become increasingly prosperous, two-way investment has continued to grow, and a large number of parks and interconnection projects have been implemented one after another. At present, China has been firmly ranked as ASEAN's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years, and ASEAN has also become China's largest trading partner for five consecutive years. From January to August this year, the bilateral trade volume between China and ASEAN reached US$686.78 billion, an increase of 8.6% year-on-year. As of July this year, China and ASEAN have accumulated more than US$450 billion in two-way investment.

Looking ahead, China and ASEAN countries are full of cooperation potential in many emerging economic fields. At present, the world is experiencing a new round of technological innovation. Emerging technologies such as green energy and artificial intelligence have created broad space for economic transformation in various countries and will also reconstruct the global economic development pattern. China has leading technology and experience in related fields, and can provide ASEAN countries with practical technical support and reference for experience. The rich natural resources, flexible industrial policies, diverse and huge markets, and unique geographical advantages of the ASEAN region can create broad opportunities for the international development of Chinese enterprises. China and ASEAN strengthen cooperation in emerging economies will help both sides improve their development competitiveness in the process of reshaping the global industrial chain and supply chain, and promote the quality and upgrading of the economy between the two sides. This year's China Eastern Expo focuses on cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and builds platforms to promote cooperation in related fields, which is in line with the general wishes of all parties and in line with the actual development needs, which is timely.

Looking around the world, China's economic and trade relations with ASEAN have shown strong resilience and are a positive force in promoting the stable development of the world economy. At present, globalization is facing a headwind, and unilateralism and protectionism are constantly heating up. Against this background, China and ASEAN adhere to the principles of globalization and free trade, firmly maintain the stability of supply chains and industrial chains, jointly promote the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), promote high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road", and fully complete the 3.0 version of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone negotiations, setting a good example for achieving mutually beneficial and win-win international cooperation.

The development of the world requires more confidence, and the source of confidence is unity and cooperation. China will continue to firmly support multilateralism and strengthen cooperation with the international community, including ASEAN, with a more open attitude. ASEAN countries should also work together with China to make full use of important international cooperation platforms such as the ASEAN Expo, tap the potential of bilateral economic and trade cooperation, build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future, and create a more open, inclusive and prosperous future. (Guo Yan)