At Nanning Expo, VP Han urges accelerating regional opening-up, jointly building CAFTA 3.0

China is willing to work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to uphold peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation to make greater contributions to regional peace, stability, and prosperity, Vice-President Han Zheng said.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 22nd China-ASEAN Expo on Sept 17 in Nanning, the capital of South China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Han called for accelerating regional opening-up and cooperation, jointly building the Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA 3.0), and ensuring the high-quality implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the world’s largest free trade agreement.

He also called for joint efforts to promote the integrated development of industrial and supply chains, expand cooperation in emerging industries, and safeguard global supply chain stability.

More than 3,200 companies from 60 countries and regions are taking part in the five-day expo this year.

With a venue space covering 160,000 square meters, the event has added new exhibition zones at its main venue, including an artificial intelligence (AI) pavilion, a pavilion of new quality productive forces, and an exhibition area for the blue, or marine, economy.

Fadillah Yusof, Malaysia’s deputy prime minister and minister of energy transition and water transformation, noted that China and ASEAN have become each other’s largest trading partners, saying this is a testament to their deep economic interdependence, a high level of mutual trust, and a shared commitment.

Against the backdrop of increasing global uncertainty, ASEAN and China should further diversify trade and investment strategies while jointly safeguarding peace, stability, and shared prosperity in the region, Fadillah said.

Mai Van Chinh, deputy prime minister of Vietnam, said that amid mounting economic challenges, including the rise of trade barriers, it is essential to strengthen mutual trust and cooperation.

China and ASEAN members should open their markets further to create more robust conditions for trade exchanges, and deepen strategic alignment to enhance infrastructure connectivity, he said.

“At the same time, science and technology should be fostered as a new driver of cooperation, with particular emphasis on advancing cutting-edge fields such as AI,” he added.

China-ASEAN trade rose 9.7 percent year-on-year to 4.93 trillion yuan ($694 billion) in the first eight months of 2025, hitting a historic high for the period, according to Chinese Customs data.

Meanwhile, Chinese companies have been active in contracting infrastructure projects in ASEAN economies.

China Communications Construction Co, a participant in the China-ASEAN Expo for the 22nd time, said it will accelerate the rollout of “new infrastructure” projects in ASEAN markets.

Zhang Bingnan, general manager of the Beijing-based, centrally administered State-owned enterprise, said, “We will align precisely CAFTA 3.0, ensure the smooth operation of the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway, usher Cambodia into the high-speed era, and advance the coordinated ‘port-rail-park’ development model of the Malaysia-China Kuantan International Logistics Park in Malaysia.

Chinese AI enterprise iFlytek is expected to sign several cooperation deals at the expo with companies and educational institutes from Southeast Asia.

Chairman Liu Qingfeng said the firm’s AI translation technology “can better serve scenarios such as cross-border e-commerce … and digital content creation across the region”.

Contact the writers at zhongnan@chinadaily.com.cn