A thematic side event to the China-ASEAN Expo called “Institutional Opening-up for New Regional Economic Growth” will be held for the first time during the 20th edition of the expo in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, according to the China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit Command Center.

At the side event, relevant government departments of China and ASEAN countries, international organizations, renowned experts and scholars, and business leaders will join discussions on further promoting institutional opening-up in terms of rules, regulations, management, standardization, and commercial affairs; actively creating market operations with the “dual circulation” in domestic and international markets; facilitating a higher-level opening-up and cooperation between China and ASEAN countries, and advancing the formation of a new paradigm for regional development.

Guangxi has witnessed continuous growth in economic and trade exchanges with ASEAN during the past few years. By 2022, ASEAN had remained Guangxi’s largest trading partner for 23 consecutive years. In the first half of 2023, Guangxi’s imports and exports to ASEAN amounted to 161.38 billion yuan, a growth of 92.6 percent. Of these, its exports reached 109.58 billion yuan, representing a growth of 88.1 percent, and imports reached 51.8 billion yuan, a growth of 102.8 percent.

With the full implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the continued release of dividend policies, the economic and trade cooperation between Guangxi and ASEAN countries will be further enhanced.