The 11th Pan-Beibu Gulf Economic Cooperation Forum and the 2020 Beibu Gulf International Gateway Port Cooperation Summit commences on Oct 15 in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 11th Pan-Beibu Gulf Economic Cooperation Forum and the 2020 Beibu Gulf International Gateway Port Cooperation Summit commenced on Oct 15 in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, with the theme of "Focusing on International Gateway Ports and Jointly Building the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor."

Guests, including government officials, outstanding scholars, experts, as well as business elites from China and ASEAN countries, attended the event both online and offline.

Attendees reached a consensus that the joint construction of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor and the Beibu Gulf International Gateway Port is vital to China-ASEAN Belt and Road cooperation.

Minister of Transport Li Xiaopeng said during a video speech that the handling capacities of cargo and containers at ports in the Beibu Gulf in the first nine months have increased by around 20 percent and 35 percent respectively year-on-year in spite of the adverse impacts caused by the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), fully showcasing the strong growth and potential in China-ASEAN cooperation.

Jurin Laksanawisit, deputy prime minister and minister of commerce of Thailand, agreed that trade between ASEAN and China has seen sustained growth despite the global economic contraction. 

Laksanawisit noted that as the Beibu Gulf International Gateway Port is an important logistics base and transportation hub, Thailand hopes to enhance connection and communication with ports in the Beibu Gulf to expand transportation channels so that more agricultural products from Thailand can be exported to the Chinese market, as well as further reach markets in Europe and Central Asia.

Lu Xinshe, Party secretary of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, speaks during the event. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Lu Xinshe, Party secretary of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, said that Guangxi sincerely invites parties in the Pan-Beibu Gulf to participate deeply in the construction of Beibu Gulf ports, as well as to bolster cooperation in port construction, shipping service, and costal industrial parks.

First held in 2006, the Pan-Beibu Gulf Economic Cooperation Forum has been held 10 times, achieving phased achievements in areas spanning regional cooperation, policy planning, investment attraction, and project innovation. 

As the year 2020 marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, this year's forum is expected to inject new vitality into sub-regional cooperation in the Pan-Beibu Gulf, as well as the interconnection between China and ASEAN.