China-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Expo will be held in Nanning, capital of southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region each November from 2004, announced Vice Minister of Commerce An Min in Beijing this morning.

According to An Min, as a practice of supporting the construction of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone and in order to further promote cooperation between China and ASEAN enterprises, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao suggested holding the China-ASEAN Expo yearly in China's Nanning City beginning in 2004 when he was attending the ASEAN plus China summit held in Bali, Indonesia on October 8. The suggestion was unanimously welcomed by leaders of ASEAN countries and was written into the Chairman Statement after the summit.

An Min said, China-ASEAN Expos will be co-organized by China's Ministry of Commerce and departments in charge of economy and trade of ASEAN countries and sponsored by the government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It will be an international and comprehensive expo, combining goods trading, service trading, investment cooperation, cultural exchanges and feature forums, fully displaying economic achievements made by China and ASEAN; providing opportunities and places of trade, investment and economic cooperation as well as providing exchange platforms for dialogue among governments, enterprises and academic circles.

An Min emphasized that the expo aims to promote all-round economic cooperation between China and ASEAN nations under the current Framework Agreement on China-ASEAN Comprehensive Economic Cooperation. It should be in line with the construction of the China-ASEAN free trade zone and the basic principal of mutual benefits, he pointed out.

"Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, bordering ASEAN nations, is advantageous in its geological location. Guangxi now has a stable society, solidarity of all ethnic groups and vigorous economy, and the government as well as its people has made full preparations for the China-ASEAN Expo. So we believe the expo will create more business opportunities for both sides," he added.

The press conference was held by the State Council Information Office on Wednesday morning. Vice Commerce Minister An Min, and acting chairman of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Lu Bing were invited to introduce expo preparations and respond to questions on the China-ASEAN Expo. The conference was chaired by Guo Weimin, deputy director of News Department under the State Council Information Office.

(China.org.cn by Tang Fuchun, Wang Qian and Daragh Moller, December 17, 2003)