On 12 April 2019, the ASEAN-China (Dezhou) Economic and Trade Conference was held at the exhibition centre of ASEAN International Eco-city in Qihe of Dezhou, Shandong Province. Mr. Chen Dehai, Secretary-General of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), attended the opening ceremony upon invitation.
Mr. Liu Bingguo, Deputy Secretary of Dezhou Municipal Party Committee and Mayor of Dezhou, Mr. Qu Feng, Secretary of the Qihe County Party Committee, Tan Sri Lim Gait Tong, President of China-ASEAN Business Association (CABA), attended the opening ceremony among nearly 300 representatives of ASEAN business associations and enterprises, including the Malaysia-China Business Council, the Chinese Committee of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Myanmar Chinese Chamber of Commerce, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and the Thailand Council for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China, as well as representatives of local Chinese enterprises.
Mayor Liu Bingguo said that Dezhou and ASEAN enjoy a long history of exchanges and profound friendship. Taking ASEAN as a priority in its opening-up policy and efforts to implement BRI, Dezhou is building itself into a window of two-way opening-up for economic and trade cooperation between northern China and ASEAN by supporting local enterprises to go abroad for mutually beneficial cooperation and creating more convenient business environment to attract more ASEAN entrepreneurs to invest and start business in Dezhou.
Secretary-General Chen Dehai opined that at present both ASEAN and China are at an important period in face of new opportunities for development. Both sides should build on the past achievements and forge ahead to make steady and sustained progress. The conference provided a good platform for enhancing mutual exchanges, sharing resources and tapping cooperation between enterprises and business associations of ASEAN and China. ACC stands ready to strengthen cooperation with chambers of commerce and business associations of ASEAN and China to bring more business opportunities and benefits to enterprises of both sides by promoting the business environment of ASEAN and China’s preferential policies for opening-up, and organizing more activities for economic and trade cooperation as well as people-to-people exchanges, so as to bring ASEAN-China practical cooperation to a new height.
Co-hosted by the China-ASEAN Business Association and Dezhou International Chamber of Commerce, the conference was composed of opening ceremony, investment environment promotion, business matching as well as signing of project contracts.