CA-EXPO
Text
Yunnan: China's Bridge to South and Southeast Asia China is revisiting its periphery with a new, localized approach to regional multilateralism.
By Naina Singh China is revisiting the importance of its peripheries for engaging with its neighbors according to its ambitious economic plans. Beijing’s new approach is a top-down regulatory regionalism in exploring economic engagement with the neighborhood, particularly Southeast Asia and South Asia. Most notably, China is strategically positioning Yunnan province as its bridge to Southeast Asia and South Asia, managing the center-periphery bond by integrating Yunnan’s economy with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) members. Yunnan, as a peripheral province, has not received the center’s economic attention in the past and historically had indifferent relations with central China. But the combination of geography, natural resources, and the political realities in the Asia-Pacific has turned China’s political attention to this southwestern province. Since 1999, via the so-called Western Development Strategy, China has committed to decreasing the widening gap between its eastern coasts and western land-locked region. Beijing planned to achieve the goals of speedy infrastructure construction, the development of industry, tourism, education, and technology, and the protection of environment in this western region through investments and free trade policies. Amid this larger strategy, Yunnan stands out. Geographically, the land-locked province shares international borders with Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam. In addition to its links with Southeast Asia, it is also a potential alternative for engagement with South Asia, with Myanmar as a buffer state. The geographically more natural choice for this South Asia outreach — Tibet – is a sensitive political space, leaving the role to Yunnan. From China’s perspective, the time for bold interconnection with ASEAN and SAARC is now, necessitated by the dominant presence of the United States and European countries in Pacific waters to China’s east. Relying on Yunnan for cross–border diplomacy, China has established various arrangements and informal networks to keep both Southeast and South Asia engaged. Yunnan is currently a major part of the Asian Development Bank-funded Greater Mekong Subregion project connecting Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam with Yunnan. The province is also a key part of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) initiative. Despite being apprehensive of the BCIM platform in the past, India has also shown its enthusiasm for a road linking Kolkata and Kunming, the capital of Yunnan. The BCIM project could also provide the northeastern states of India with access to the sea, if the plan to link Mizoram state with Myanmar’s Sittwe port through the Kaladana River comes to fruition. In 2002, Indian and Chinese scholars formed a Track-II mechanism called the Kunming to Kolkata Forum as a communicating platform to discuss potential economic cooperation at the state/provincial level. In 2013, Yunnan Governor Li Jiheng, met with the ASEAN secretariat and stressed the connectivity between the two. Li specifically emphasized the Singapore-Kunming rail link and the highway network from Bangkok to Kunming under the broader framework of the North-South Economic Corridor. Later in the same year, to capitalize on this growing network of ties, China’s central bank with other concerned departments launched a plan to establish a new financial pilot zone in Yunnan province and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Yunnan has also established many cooperative platforms with the bordering countries, such as the Joint Committee on Coordination of Commercial navigation on the Lancang-Mekong River, the Economic Cooperation Consultation of Yunnan and Four Provinces of Vietnam, the Yunnan-North Thailand Cooperation working group, the Yunnan-Myanmar Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum and various others. To exploit the similar potentialities in South Asia, the Yunnan government is participating in track 1.5 platforms such as the China-South Asia Business Forum and the China-South Asia Think Tank Forum, which emphasizes economic cooperation, trust building and mutual understanding. The yearly exhibition exchanges through the platforms of the China-South Asia Expo and the Kunming Import and Export Commodities Fair in Yunnan are also strategies to develop economic interest among the regions. China’s goal with respect to Yunnan is two-fold: acknowledging greater provincial autonomy and agency in multilateral arrangements on the external front and smoothing the friction toward the center on the domestic front. These multilateral arrangements allow the Chinese capital to be regionalized and while also localizing the regional capital. Thanks to these efforts, Yunnan’s provincial GDP became the third-fastest growing in China in 2013 due to growing infrastructure and investments. Despite China’s overall economic slowdown, last year, the province generated a total GDP of 1.4 trillion yuan ($209 billion) in 2015 and reported to be the highest of all time. Yunnan’s example suggests that China is actively taking the risk of experimenting with its peripheral provinces for the greater good of the center.
ACC Secretary-General Attended the Opening Ceremony of China-South Asia Expo
On 12 of June 2016, the Opening Ceremony of the 4th China-South Asia Expo and the 24th Session of Kunming Import and Export Fair was held in Dianchi International Exhibition Center in Kunming. Mr. Wang Yang, Deputy Prime Minister of Chinese State Council delivered a keynote speech. Mr. Li Jiheng, Party Secretary of Yunnan Provincial Government, Mr. Chen Hao, Governor of Yunnan Province, H.E. Mr. Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed, Special Envoy of Maldives President, Speaker of People’s Majlis, H.E. Mr. Trinh Dinh Dung, Deputy Prime Minister of Viet Nam attended the ceremony and gave speeches. ACC Secretary-General H. E. Mme. Yang Xiuping participated in the event and exchanged views with the guests. Deputy Prime Minister Wang Yang noted that China-South Asia relations was in the most dynamic and fruitful period. Under the backdrop of global economic downturn, to promote friendly cooperation between China and South Asian nations would not only benefit their own peoples, but could also make contribution to the recovery of world economy. Both sides should further enhance trade relations, promote infrastructure construction, develop tourism cooperation and boost sub-national cooperation. China-South Asia Expo was not only a window showcasing China, but also a platform for China-South Asia and China-Southeast Asia comprehensive cooperation. It was hoped that the Expo would become a high quality and fruitful one with the efforts from all aspects. On behalf of Yunnan Province, Mr. Li Jiheng welcomed all the guests to attend the Expo. He pointed out that since it was first held in 2013, China-South Asia Expo had been constantly expanding the scale, innovating the contents and improving the quality. It had already been turned into a grand assembly for enhancing China-South Asia and China-Southeast Asia cooperation. Yunnan Province was an important gateway for China’s two-way opening up to South Asia and Southeast Asia. It would make full use of its cultural and geographical advantages, and by using the platform of China-South Asia Expo, Yunnan would fully consult with all the countries on cooperation forms and development plan, and enjoy together the fruit of development. Mme. Gao Yan said that China and South Asian nations were neighbors supporting each other and partners of close cooperation. The areas of cooperation ranged from trade, investment and agriculture, to infrastructure and well-being of the people. The Expo co-hosted by Ministry of Commerce of China and Yunnan Province had attracted large amount of enterprises by establishing platform for the cooperation of China-South Asia, and China-Southeast Asia. This well indicated the complementarity of China-South Asian and China-Southeast Asian Countries economic advantages, and the huge development potential and space they may have in future. H.E. Mr. Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed, Speaker of People’s Majlis from the theme Country of this session of China-South Asia Expo indicated that the Expo had an important meaning to the China-South Asian and China-Southeast Asian countries cooperation. Maldive and China enjoyed friendly relations and continuously expanding bilateral cooperation. It was believed that by joining the forces from all sides and building together the maritime silk road, the China-South Asia Expo would become the bridge for promoting mutually beneficial China-South Asian and China-Southeast Asian countries cooperation . H.E. Mr. Trinh Dinh Dung, Deputy Prime Minister of Viet Nam, the Guest Country of this Expo, said that as the global economy witnessing a dim prospect, the Expo however attracted so many companies to participate. This further demonstrated the important role of China and Yunnan Province in regional economic development. Viet Nam would like to further deepen cooperation with China as well as Yunan Province, and wish to make further contribution to China-ASEAN cooperation. H.E. Mr. Hor Namhong, Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia pointed out that Cambodia had been benefited greatly from China’s fast economic growth. Thanks to the in-depth implementation of the Belt and Road initiative and the establishment of AIIB, China-South Asia and China-Southeast Asia relations would face broader perspective. H.E. Mr. Sonexay Siphandone, Deputy Prime Minister of Laos and other foreign politicians expressed their appreciation to the Government of China and Yunnan Province for their considerate arrangement for the Expo. They spoke highly about China’s neighboring foreign policy, which was stated as “Amity, Sincerity, Mutual Benefit and Inclusiveness”, and its important contributions to regional prosperity and development. They sincerely wished the Expo fruitful results and would like to play a bigger role in deepening China-South Asia and China-Southeast Asia pragmatic cooperation. China-South Asia Expo was co-hosted by China MOFCOM and Yunnan Provincial Government with Kunming as its permanent meeting venue. The 4th China-South Asia Expo and the 24th Kunming Import and Export Fair was the largest Expo in its history in terms of scale which had attracted more than 5000 enterprises from 89 countries in Asia, Europe, America, Africa and Oceania.
Fourth China-ASEAN Expo opens in Nanning
NANNING, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Fourth China-ASEAN Exposition (CAEXPO) opened here on Sunday morning in the southern China city of Nanning. Political figures and business leaders of China and the ten countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN will be present at the four-day event. Chinese Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Laos Bouasone Bouphavamh, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Crown Prince of Brunei Al-Muhatadee Billah attended the opening ceremony of the Expo. Johannah Joy Phumaphi, Vice President of World Bank, said the CAEXPO is an effective mechanism to the region's continued economic success. According to Phumaphi, emerging economies in East Asia maintained an average GDP growth of 7 percent to 8 percent per annum, and trade growth in the region is faster than GDP growth. Intra-regional trade has risen from 43 percent to 56 percent in the past decade. To sustain development and integration in the region, Phumaphi called for more emphasis on education, flexible labor system, and improvement of health system and food safety. Starting from this year, the CAEXPO introduces the mechanism of country of honor. One or two ASEAN countries will be designated as the country (countries) of honor of the Expo every year, during which a series of activities are organized to promote the country (countries). This year's honor belongs to Brunei. "Brunei is very happy to be the country of honor of the 4th CAEXPO. The Expo has become a very important date on ASEAN calendar...It is a good platform for future prosperity for our people," said Al-Muhatadee Billah, Crown Prince of Brunei. Scheduled to run from Oct. 28 to 31, the Expo provides a total of 3,400 booths. ASEAN use 1,128 booths which account for 33 percent and Chinese enterprises use 2,215 booths, or 65 percent of the total. Exhibits of ASEAN focus on metals and minerals, motor vehicles and accessories, handicrafts, agricultural products and food, while Chinese exhibits center on construction machinery, food processing and package machinery, electric power equipment, spare parts and construction materials. It is estimated that 20,000 professional buyers will attend the Expo. Concurrently held with the Expo is the 4th China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (CABIS) and a series of ministerial conferences and forums, covering a wide range of issues including port development, women's rights, tourism and electric power cooperation.
Knowledge Graph
Examples
1 Photo taken on June 12, 2015 shows the opening ceremony of the 3rd China-South Asia Exposition in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province. The 3rd China-South Asia Exposition opened here on Friday.
2 The China-South Asia Expo serves as an important channel for promoting trade, investment and technology transfer between China and southern Asia.
3 This time the Center organised the 3rd China-South Asia Expo and 23rd China Kunming Import and Export Commodities Fair from June 12-16.