The China (Shanxi)-ASEAN Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference took place in Beijing on April 16.

The conference, co-sponsored by Shanxi Provincial Government and the China-ASEAN Business Council, was attended by 50 government officials and entrepreneurs from Shanxi, as well as more than 200 representatives from ASEAN countries.

The Shanxi branch of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade signed a memorandum of cooperation with the China-ASEAN Business Council at the conference, which also promoted four quintessential Shanxi products – Fenjiu liquor, herbal tea, glassware and Changzhi silks and satins – to ASEAN countries. 

Lu Dongliang, vice-governor of Shanxi, told the conference that over the past 30 years, Shanxi and ASEAN countries have become closer in economic ties, exchanges and cooperation. 

In 2020, a quarter of Shanxi's foreign trade value came from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) member countries, which include ASEAN countries, Lu said. 

Lu said he considers Shanxi and ASEAN countries to be highly complementary in economic and trade terms, and added that they have a broad space for cooperation, especially in the fields of the digital economy, infrastructure construction, equipment manufacturing, the coal chemical industry, and the development of high-end agricultural products. 

Currently, Shanxi is stepping up efforts to establish an effective policy mechanism for RCEP, and working with ASEAN countries to continue to cooperate in expanding trade and investment, coping with risks and challenges, deepening interconnection, and strengthening cultural exchanges, Lu added.

Xu Ningning, executive director of the China-ASEAN Business Council, said in his speech that Shanxi and ASEAN countries can carry out in-depth cooperation in many areas, including logistics, resource development, smart city construction, manufacturing, cash crop planting and processing, culture and tourism.

He added that Shanxi also has many advantageous products that can expand into the ASEAN market, and ASEAN countries are willing to become one of the first choices for Shanxi enterprises seeking to explore overseas markets.