The 6th China-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Expo (CAEXPO) was held in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on October 20-24. What influence has the CAEXPO brought to Guangxi? The China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (FTA) will begin on January 1, 2010. What opportunities and challenges will it bring to the development in the region? Guo Shengkun, Party Secretary of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Committee, answered these questions in an interview with the Guangming Daily newspaper.

Guangming Daily: The CAEXPO has been held six times in Nanning. What effect do you think it has had on the creation of the China-ASEAN FTA?

Guo Shengkun: The CAEXPO emerged with the creation of the China-ASEAN FTA. It has been strengthening cooperation and communication between China and ASEAN member states since 2004.

In the previous five years, the CAEXPO held a series of investment promotion events, set up a database and saw the signing of a series of agreements that center on creating the China-ASEAN FTA and expanding the convenience of the FTA to business enterprises. The CAEXPO has become the "accelerator" for the realization of the FTA.

While advancing the process of constructing the China-ASEAN FTA, what has the CAEXPO brought to Guangxi's development?

Guangxi has been pushed to a new point at the top of the development tide by successfully hosting the CAEXPO. We can mention the following three aspects:

First, the CAEXPO has improved Guangxi's strategic position. By successfully holding the CAEXPO for five years, a Nanning Channel has been gradually developed as part of the cooperation between China and ASEAN members. Guangxi has changed from a remote region into an important hub in regional cooperation.

Second, from 2004 to 2008, trade volume between Guangxi and ASEAN members increased three times. The actual investment volume from ASEAN to Guangxi increased 4.4 times and the contractual investment volume from Guangxi to ASEAN increased 26 times.

Third, the CAEXPO has inspired the spirits and broadened the minds of the local people in the region. By hosting the CAEXPO, our government officials and citizens have become more confident.

What opportunities will the upcoming completion of the China-ASEAN FTA bring to the development of Guangxi?

First, the completion of the China-ASEAN FTA will help Guangxi expand trade and investment cooperation with ASEAN members. In the first eight months of this year, ASEAN continued to be Guangxi's biggest trade partner and export market. The trade volume of the two sides reached $2.65 billion. With the completion of the China-ASEAN FTA, the concession of tariffs and the realization of investment and trade facilitation, economic and trade cooperation between Guangxi and ASEAN will grow stronger.

Second, the establishment of the China-ASEAN FTA will help Guangxi adjust and upgrade its economic structures and will improve the competitiveness of its industrial market. On this point, Guangxi has adjusted its position and focused on turning itself into the China-ASEAN regional logistics, business, processing and manufacturing base, along with the grouping's information exchange center.

Third, the FTA's completion will benefit Guangxi's enterprises by giving them incentives to explore the ASEAN market.

Fourth, the FTA will help Guangxi strengthen multidisciplinary cooperation with ASEAN, other nations and regions and other Chinese provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions.

Last, the FTA will be beneficial for Guangxi to strengthen cooperation in the fields of technology, education, culture, health, ecology and social undertakings, making connections between Guangxi and ASEAN omni-directional, multileveled and wide-ranging.

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