The China ASEAN Expo will be held from September 17th to 21st to showcase the achievements of economic and trade cooperation and enhance the level of openness and cooperation (authoritative release)
The 23rd China ASEAN Expo will be held in Nanning, Guangxi from September 17 to 21, with the theme of "Sharing 3.0 Opportunities, Creating a Better Life Together". On September 1st, the State Council Information Office held a press conference to introduce the relevant situation.
China has maintained its position as the largest trading partner of ASEAN for 17 consecutive years
This year marks the 5th anniversary of the establishment of the China ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the beginning of the Action Plan for the China ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2026-2030), and a crucial year for accelerating the implementation of the upgraded protocol of the China ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 after its signing.
Vice Minister of Commerce Yan Dong introduced that in recent years, China and ASEAN have deepened mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation, and their economic and trade relations have become increasingly close, achieving fruitful results in cooperation in various fields.
The scale of trade has reached a new high. In 2025, the bilateral trade volume between China and ASEAN exceeded the trillion dollar mark for the first time, reaching 1.05 trillion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 7.4%. China has maintained its position as the largest trading partner of ASEAN for 17 consecutive years, and ASEAN has become China's largest trading partner for 6 consecutive years. From January to July this year, the total trade volume between China and ASEAN reached 744.41 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 24.7%, accounting for 21.8% of China's total foreign trade volume during the same period.
Investment cooperation continues to improve. As of July this year, the cumulative two-way investment between China and ASEAN, as well as the cumulative engineering contracting turnover completed by Chinese enterprises in ASEAN, have both exceeded 515 billion US dollars. A number of major cooperation projects have been solidly promoted, and the effectiveness of cooperation in emerging fields has been significant. The status of both sides as the most active investment partners has been further consolidated.
The cooperation between production and supply chains is increasingly deepening. China and ASEAN firmly support multilateralism and free trade, and jointly address global economic and trade challenges. The "Two Country Dual Parks" project between China and Malaysia, China and Indonesia, and the construction of the China Laos Cross border Economic Cooperation Zone are steadily advancing.
Regional economic integration is accelerating. The upgraded protocol of China ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 has been officially signed, and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement has been implemented with high quality. The joint construction of the "the Belt and Road" has yielded fruitful results, and sub regional cooperation such as the Lancang Mekong cooperation and the China ASEAN East Growth Area has continued to deepen.
Economy and trade as the main line, enterprises as the main body, and application as the characteristic
Lu Xinning, member of the Standing Committee and Vice Chairman of the Party Committee of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, introduced the new features of the 23rd China ASEAN Expo and the China ASEAN Business and Investment Summit from three dimensions.
From the perspective of the organizers, the exhibition area has expanded from 2 to 3 this year, with a total exhibition area of 170000 square meters, an increase of 10000 square meters compared to last year. Timor Leste made its debut as a co organizer, marking the first time that 11 ASEAN countries have gathered in Nanning after the expansion of ASEAN. The setting of the exhibition area closely follows the new opportunities of version 3.0, and for the first time, a future space and a science and technology innovation enterprise growth empowerment exhibition area has been established. The AI (Artificial Intelligence) sector has been completely upgraded, integrating the consumer end, enterprise end, government end, and international end into one. The newly added exhibition area will focus on showcasing practical application cases, shifting from "viewing exhibits" to "discussing cooperation" and "doing business".
From the perspective of exhibitors, it is the first time to set up a demand exhibition for ASEAN countries, focusing on showcasing their technology and application needs. For the first time, the "big leading small" exhibition mode for chain owners has been launched, allowing small and medium-sized enterprises to expand their markets together with chain owners. Arrange 50 economic and trade activities, collaborate with top e-commerce live streaming tours, and help ASEAN's high-quality products better enter the Chinese market.
For ordinary visitors, the Expo site not only offers access to popular ASEAN agricultural products and handicrafts such as durian, coffee, and rosewood, but also allows them to experience high-tech products up close. For the first time, an "AI marketplace" has been established, selecting over 400 products from 60 companies that are suitable for ASEAN enterprises.
Lin Honghong, Vice President of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, introduced that during the China ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, a series of activities will be held, including the China ASEAN Business Leaders Forum and the China Philippines High level Dialogue of the Business Community, to release typical cases related to artificial intelligence cooperation and serve the construction of a new highland of artificial intelligence cooperation for ASEAN.
Set up a special exhibition area for the Pinglu Canal and hold a series of promotion and docking activities
The Pinglu Canal is about to open for navigation, and this year's East Expo will set up a special exhibition area for the Pinglu Canal. Lu Xinning introduced that the Pinglu Canal is the backbone project of the Western Land Sea New Channel, which has changed the passive situation of Guangxi's river sea barrier and sea going circumnavigation. The Pinglu Canal can accommodate ships of up to 5000 tons, making it the highest navigable river sea connecting canal in China and the world.
With the opening of the canal, the transportation distance between the southwestern hinterland of China and ASEAN has been shortened by 560 kilometers, and logistics costs have been reduced by 18% -30%. Goods from Southwest China can reach ASEAN more easily, and ASEAN's tropical fruits, coffee and other specialty products can also enter the Chinese market more conveniently. After the opening of the canal, the capital, technology, talent, labor and other factors of Southwest China and ASEAN countries will further converge, giving rise to new cross-border investment and industrial cooperation projects, and enabling the regional supply chain to integrate more efficiently and deeply. This year's East Expo will hold a series of promotion and docking activities around shipping and logistics, cross-border trade, and port related industries, providing opportunities for all parties to participate and dock.
Wang Liping, Director of the Asia Department of the Ministry of Commerce, stated that China will actively promote the early entry into force and implementation of the upgraded protocol of the China ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 version that has been signed, high-quality implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, and guide enterprises to fully enjoy policy dividends; Promote the implementation of cooperation in key areas such as digital economy and green development, and promote cooperation on governance rules and technical standards in areas such as e-commerce and cross-border finance; Support domestic pilot free trade zones to carry out greater openness and pilot programs for ASEAN economic and trade cooperation, continuously enhancing the level of openness and cooperation between the two sides.