Ambassador Jaime A. FlorCruz (Middle) poses together with members of the Philippine delegation from the Philippine Embassy in Beijing, the Philippine Consulate General in Guangzhou as well as the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Guangzhou during the Opening Ceremony of the 20th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) and the 20th China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (CABIS) held at the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on 17 September 2023. Joining Ambassador FlorCruz is Consul General Marshall Louis M. Alferez (2nd from Left) of the Philippine Consulate General in Guangzhou.

17 September 2023 NANNING, GUANGXI, CHINA – Philippine Ambassador to the People's Republic of China H.E. Jaime A. FlorCruz led the delegation from the Philippine Embassy in Beijing, Philippine Consulate General in Guangzhou as well as the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Guangzhou in attending the Opening Ceremony of the 20th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) and the 20th China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (CABIS) held at the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on 17 September 2023.

Under the theme of "Work Together for a Harmonious Home and a Shared Future", this year's CAEXPO aimed to deepen cooperation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries in multiple sectors.

In his speech at the opening ceremony, Chinese Premier Li Qiang remarked that China is willing to further strengthen its collaborations with the ASEAN countries for greater development, adding that China firmly supports the ASEAN-centered regional cooperation framework. "China will continue to firmly support the ASEAN-centered regional cooperation architecture, better synergize the Belt and Road Initiative with the development strategies of other countries, and help ASEAN countries realize their development goals," Premier Li said.

As this year marks the 10th anniversary of China's Belt and Road Initiative and the 20th China-ASEAN Expo, official data shows that the bilateral trade volume between China and ASEAN had increased from approximately USD 100 billion in 2004 to USD 975.34 billion in 2022. China has been the ASEAN bloc's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years, while ASEAN has been China's largest trading partner for three consecutive years.

Nearly 2,000 enterprises had participated in the CAEXPO, aiming to tap into the huge market of over 2 billion people of China and ASEAN countries. The Philippines set up a pavilion at the China-ASEAN Expo, having numerous business enterprises showcasing various Philippine products.

On the sidelines of the CAEXPO, a Philippine Investment Forum was conducted at the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center (NICEC) on 16 September 2023 to feature Philippine investment opportunities as well as the advantages of doing business in the country.

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