written by Chen Libing / translated by Gao Qianqian

Exploring the Blue Ocean and Co-building the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road

written by Chen Libing / translated by Gao Qianqian

The soul of an exhibition is innovation. For the CAEXPO, it is the construction of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and the upgraded version of CAFTA. Now, with the accelerated construction of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and the upgraded version of CAFTA, the 12th CAEXPO is going to show up with an upgraded version.

2015 is the Year of China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation. The 12th CAEXPO will feature “ocean” and present an array of ocean-specialized activities.

Ocean-oriented Investment Promotion

As an important content of each CAEXPO, investment promotion is at the same time the highlight of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and the upgraded version of CAFTA.

In September, 2014, the 11th CAEXPO Roundtable Meeting on Investment Cooperation was themed on “Promoting Cross-border Cooperation and Cobuilding the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road” for the first time, which has effectively promoted the China-ASEAN cross-border economic cooperation and maritime connectivity. Based on this, the 12th CAEXPO Roundtable Meeting on Investment Cooperation will continue to focus on the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and highlight port and logistic cooperation.

At the 12th CAEXPO Senior Officials Meeting held on March 16, 2015, Wang Xu, Deputy Director General of the Investment Promotion Agency of China’s Ministry of Commerce, introduced that the 12th CAEXPO Roundtable Meeting on Investment Cooperation will focus on “Co-building the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road” and Year of China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation, and themed on “Promoting Port and Logistic Cooperation”. At the scheduled time, China will organize Chinese enterprises capable for investing in ports and logistics to negotiate with ASEAN business representatives. And the Promotion Conference on ASEAN Industrial Parks to be held concurrently will provide an exchange platform for port logistics industrial parks in China and ASEAN, and give a helping hand for them to raise their popularity and explore overseas market.

China and ASEAN face each other across the sea. Trade between them is mainly conducted via sea transportation, the development of which is inseparable from port and logistics. Currently, as the construction of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and the upgraded version of CAFTA enter the pragmatic stage, there arouse higher requirements for port and logistics cooperation between the two sides, which means that there is great space for investment. Port and logistics cooperation between China and ASEAN is not restricted in infrastructure and transportation construction, but extends to the formation of a whole cross-regional economic belt that could drive the development of liner ship routes, portvicinity industries and coastal tourism of countries along the way.

In September, 2014, Guangxi (China) and Singapore launched the project to cobuild docks and open liner ship routes, while Qinzhou port (Guangxi, China) established sister ports relation with Kuantan port (Malaysia) and Sihanoukville port (Cambodia) respectively. Moreover, with the establishment of China-ASEAN Port Cities Cooperation Network, the construction of maritime connectivity between Beibu Gulf ports and 47 ASEAN ports is also sped up.

In such context, it is timely for the 12th CAEXPO to be themed on “Promoting Port and Logistics Cooperation”, which is in line with the present theme of China-ASEAN maritime cooperation. For enterprises from China and ASEAN, this is not only an exchange of ideas, but a very good opportunity to seek for investment and cooperation.

Special Guest Country to Extend Regional Cooperation

The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road is a win-win scheme with a view to deepening China-ASEAN cooperation and establish a closer community of common destiny.However, it is not restricted in ASEAN, but a strategic cooperation belt that strings ASEAN, South Asia, Western Asia, North Africa and Europe, covering all the member states of RCEP.

In order to further exhibit the open attitude of CAEXPO and set up a bridge for China, ASEAN, and other economies. From 2014 onward, the CAEXPO invites a RCEP member outside ASEAN to be the special guest country each year, with an aim to extend regional cooperation and seek for win-win results.

South Korea, facing China across the sea, is one of the RCEP members and a country along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. It will be the special guest country of the 12th CAEXPO after Australia was chosen as the fi rst.

South Korea enjoys strong economic complementarity with China and ASEAN. It has always valued the cooperation with them. At the previous 11 CAEXPOs, it had altogether 66 booths, with 46 enterprises and 335 merchants attending the exhibition. Besides, in order to speed up the bilateral connectivity construction, the Qinzhou-South Korea-Indonesia-Thailand-Vietnam container liner route was opened to operation, and the maiden voyage was made at Qinzhou international container terminal on October 28, 2014. It has greatly shortened the journey between Qinzhou and South Korea, providing an efficient, convenient, and economical logistic channel for import and export enterprises from China’s southwest to link Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia. It also promotes the establishment of a fast maritime logistics channel in the Beibu Gulf and ASEAN.

Moreover, with the increasing trade and people-to-people exchanges between Korea, China, and ASEAN, Korea is playing a more and more important role in China-ASEAN economic and trade relations. It being the special guest country of the 12th CAEXPO not only shows it attaches great importance to China-ASEAN cooperation, but also demonstrates the requirement of serving the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and constructing the upgraded version of CAFTA.

To further promote bilateral economic and trade cooperation, the Korean government has made clear that they would send highlevel government delegations and prestigious businessmen to attend the 12th CAEXPO, hold economic and trade exchanges oriented at RCEP cooperation, and exhibit building materials, new technology, cosmetics, glass products, electrical and electronic household items etc., to establish closer links with business circles of China and ASEAN.

“Cities of Charm” as a Gobetween

Cities are the strongholds of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. By connecting each stronghold, we see a brand new Silk Road, or Silk Road Economic Belt. So, the cooperation between cities along the Road would help put the construction into practice and serves as an important breakthrough point for these cities to seek cooperation opportunities.

In such a context, the “Cities of Charm” Pavilion of the 12th CAEXPO would promote port cities that enjoy advantages for maritime cooperation so as to serve the theme -- the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, acting as a go-between for cities along the Road.

So far, Hong Kong (China), Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei), and Singapore city have been chosen as cities of charm of the 12th CAEXPO. At the scheduled time, China’s city of charm – Hong Kong, would organize high-level economic and trade delegations to attend the exhibition and display its business opportunities in trade, investment, science & technology, fi nance, and tourism. At the same time, a series of ASEAN-oriented economic and trade exchanges such as specialized promotion conferences would be held to deepen its cooperation with ASEAN, so as to accelerate the process of FTA negotiations with ASEAN as a separate customs territory.

As one of the Four Asian Tigers, Hong Kong is an important financial, service, and shipping center. With developed financial and service industries, it plays an important role in trade, logistics, finance, business service and tourism, no matter in constructing the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road or in deepening the economic and trade relations between China and ASEAN. Hong Kong being the city of charm will be a highlight of the 12th CAEXPO. At the scheduled time, enterprises from the ASEAN countries could take this opportunity to deepen the cooperation with Hong Kong for win-win results.

The CAEXPO has been held for 11 consecutive years, during which remarkable results have been achieved. Now, the 12th CAEXPO is going to show up with an upgraded version and present numerous highlights.

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