Han Ximin

1824295095@qq.com

THE China-ASEAN Forum on Emerging Industries, scheduled to open in Shenzhen on Tuesday and Wednesday, will deepen cooperation between the two economies, which have been each other’s largest trading partners for three consecutive years.

The forum, to be held at the Wuzhou Guest House in Futian District, will consist of a main forum Tuesday and three parallel forums Wednesday, according to a news briefing held by the Information Office of the Shenzhen Municipal Government yesterday.

Over 300 representatives from governments, enterprises and institutions from China and ASEAN countries will share ideas and insights on new energy vehicles, the digital economy and energy electronics, while seeking opportunities for international cooperation.

“Through the forum, we will establish a ministerial-level dialogue mechanism between China and ASEAN in various industry sectors, create an industrial cooperation platform for governments and enterprises in emerging industries, and forge a resilient supply chain for shared and coordinated development between China and ASEAN countries,” Yu Zhicheng, deputy director of the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, one of the forum’s organizers, said at the news conference.

At the forum’s main venue, Shenzhen enterprises will display their latest products and technologies in artificial intelligence, new energy vehicles, energy storage, digital economy and smart terminals.

“A series of matching activities for Shenzhen enterprises and institutions will also be held during the forum,” Xiao Zuping, deputy chief of the Shenzhen Municipal Industry and Information Technology Bureau, said at the news conference.

The added value of strategic and emerging industries in Shenzhen reached 1.33 trillion yuan (US$183.6 billion) in 2022, accounting for 41.1% of the city’s GDP.

From January to April this year, Shenzhen’s trade with ASEAN countries reached 163.9 billion yuan, an increase of 6.7% year on year.

During the same period, air cargo trade between Shenzhen and ASEAN countries reached 59,000 metric tons, data from Shenzhen Customs showed.

So far, Shenzhen airport has opened nine cargo routes to the ASEAN region, with a total of 96 flights operating weekly.

This years marks the 20th anniversary of China’s accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia and the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative.

China and ASEAN became each other’s largest trading partners in 2020, with China’s trade with ASEAN amounting to 6.52 trillion yuan in 2022, data showed.