On the sidelines of the 5th China Yiwu International Forest Products Fair on 1 November 2012, Indonesian Ambassador to China Imron Cotan, Secretary-General Ma Mingqiang of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) and Executive Vice Mayor Zhao Guorong of the Yiwu Municipal Government held talks and exchanged views on the project of the exhibition center of ASEAN products. The delegation of commercial counsellors from ASEAN countries' embassies in China then paid a field trip to the 5th District of the Yiwu International Trade Market.

Jointly built by the ACC and the Yiwu Municipal Government, the exhibition center is to introduce more and better ASEAN goods to China by making use of Yiwu's logistic network and marketing channels. Located on the first floor of the 5th District of the Yiwu International Trade Market and with a total planning area of 5000 square meters, the center is a medium for the exhibition and sale of products from the 10 ASEAN countries.

When addressing the 9th China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit on 21 September, Vice President Xi Jinping hoped that companies from ASEAN countries could make full use of the exhibition center in Yiwu, Zhejiang with a view to promotting their products and winning a larger share in the Chinese market.