The Second China Marketing Conference, co-hosted by the ASEAN-China Center (ACC) and China General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC) and supported by the Minister of Commerce and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, was held at the Beijing International Conference Center from September 16 to 18, 2012. With the theme “Attract Industries through Markets and Promote Economic Prosperity”, the conference aims at merging China’s commodity market resources and promoting the integration of the greater China-ASEAN market for the goal of standardized development and operation, brand promotion and internationalization. 

Vice Chairman Bai Lichen of the CPPCC, Vice Commerce Minister Jiang Zengwei, Deputy Director of the Economic Committee of the CPPCC and CGCC President Zhang Zhigang, CGCC Honorary President He Jihai, Secretary-General Ma Mingqiang of the ACC, and Representative of the ASEAN Committee in Beijing (ACB) and Ambassador Somdy Bounkhoum of Laos attended and addressed the opening ceremony of the conference. More than 500 business representatives from the commodity trading markets across China attended the conference. 

Secretary-General Ma Mingqiang pointed out in his address to the opening ceremony that ASEAN countries boasts of stable political situation, strong momentum of economic development, inexpensive labor force and rich natural resources. Built on solid foundation, China-ASEAN business cooperation enjoys huge potential and broad prospects. China-ASEAN trade keeps growing rapidly amid a sluggish world economy. Two-way trade volume reached 220.5 billion US dollars for the first seven months of this year, an increase of 9% over the same period of the previous year which is higher than the 8% annual average growth of China’s foreign trade. Since the launching of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) two years ago, more benefits of trade facilitation have been delivered, speeding up the flow of material, capital and information within the region and pushing forward the integration and development of the greater China-ASEAN market. The China-ASEAN connectivity is also making steady progress, which will further deepen China-ASEAN business cooperation. It is hoped that the Chinese businesses can give play to their own advantages, make the best of the various preferential investment policies, focus on the driving areas of China-ASEAN cooperation and seize the cooperation opportunities to achieve mutual benefit and win-win outcomes. 

ACB Representative and Ambassador Somdy Bounkhoum of Laos said in his speech that over the past two decades and more since China and ASEAN established the dialogue relations, the two sides have seen fruitful trade and economic cooperation and become the most important trading partner of each other. The CAFTA, formally put in place in early 2010, has embraced the general trend of the development of trade and economic cooperation and benefited 1.9 billion people of the region. We hope the development of the CAFTA can be a booster for not only bilateral trade but also Chinese investment in ASEAN, particularly in high and new technology and new energy. It is believed that the two sides are capable of meeting the target set by their leaders of bringing the two-way trade volume to 50 billion US dollars and the number of personnel visits to 15 million by 2015. Ambassador Somdy Bounkhoum also pointed out in particular that since its establishment in August, 2011, the ACC has made important contribution to deepening China-ASEAN cooperation and upgrading bilateral trade and investment cooperation.

Mr. Luo Yulong, Executive Deputy Director of the Merchandise Trade Market Committee and Secretary-General of CGCC, delivered the Report on China Market Development and read out the Growth Declaration on One Hundred Markets and One Trillion Yuan of the China Market. He hoped that the success of the conference would accelerate the development of China’s commercial circulation and promote China’s market prosperity through the integration of resources and markets within the CAFTA. 

The ACC also set up exhibition stands during the conference to show the work it has done since its establishment in promoting China-ASEAN cooperation in various fields, particularly in trade and investment. The ACC also hosted the Forum on the Development and International Cooperation of the China Market to fully present and promote the business, tourism and cultural information and activities of ASEAN. Diplomats from the Cambodian, Lao, Philippine, Indonesian, Singaporean, and Thai Embassies in China also attended and addressed the forum and had active interaction with participating Chinese entrepreneurs.