Pan-Beibu Gulf forum vital platform for China-ASEAN cooperation

Qinzhou Port. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The biennial Pan-Beibu Gulf Economic Cooperation Forum, first held in 2006 in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, has achieved fruitful results in the previous 11 sessions.

The event was held to jointly establish new growth poles of China-ASEAN development and push forward the regional cooperation and development in the Pan-Beibu Gulf region.

Serving as an important platform for China-ASEAN exchanges and cooperation, the Pan-Beibu Gulf economic cooperation has now developed into a new sub-regional cooperation within the framework of China-ASEAN cooperation.

The previous 11 meetings drew in about 4,500 people, including 12 Chinese leaders, 183 ministers from nations in the Pan-Beibu Gulf, and three Nobel Memorial laureates in Economic Sciences.

In the first session, the ideas for creating the Pan-Beibu Gulf Economic Cooperation Zone, the Nanning-Singapore Economic Corridor, and strengthening Meikong River Sub-Regional Cooperation were presented.

Major measures for the launch of Pan-Beibu Gulf economic cooperation was released in the second session while the third session further promoted the cooperation and attendees noted that they were willing to turn the cooperation into a new sub-regional cooperation within the framework of China-ASEAN cooperation.

The Chinese Secretariat of Pan-Beibu Gulf Economic Cooperation, which is located in Guangxi, unveiled its plaque during the fourth session. Cooperation agreements in sectors spanning logistics, finance, tourism and industrial development were signed during the fifth, sixth and seventh sessions. The initiative for jointly building the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road debuted in the eighth session.

During the latest session, pressing issues such as jointly building the Beibu Gulf International Gateway Port and the high-quality construction of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor were discussed.