On 26-27 April 2017, the Forums on Business and Investment Opportunities in ASEAN, hosted by ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) and the Foreign Affairs Office of Shandong Provincial Government, were successfully held in Jinan and Qingdao, Shandong province respectively.. More than 100 participants consisting of the Commercial Ministers, Counsellors and Officers from the Embassies of Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, officials from relevant sectors of Shandong Provincial Government, Jinan and Qingdao Municipal Governments, as well as local entrepreneurs attended the Forums respectively.

Mr. Li Yuan, Director of Trade and Investment Division of ACC, chaired the Forums. He said that in recent years, ASEAN-China integration has continued to deepen and cooperation has continued to make new progress. In year 2016, the two way trade volume achieved USD 452.2 billion, and the accumulated investment has surpassed USD 170 billion. The intimate economic and people-to-people exchanges make the peoples of the two sides closer and closer. ACC, playing the role as bridge and link, has conducted a series of trade and investment facilitation activities. ACC is willing to make joint efforts with the parties to fasten the upgrading of economic cooperation and raise the level of trade facilitation, with the purpose of fostering ASEAN-China trade and investment cooperation to a new height and therefore bring tangible benefits to the people.

Mr. Pang Jinliang, Deputy Director-General of the General Office of Jinan Municipal Government, and Ms. Gao Qun, Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Qingdao Municipal Government, delivered remarks on the Forums. Mr. Pang Jinliang said that, from January to November 2016, the two way trade volume between Jinan and ASEAN countries reached USD 1.97 billion, and the accumulated investment value from Jinan to ASEAN countries reached USD 126 million. Jinan has attracted 113 investment projects from ASEAN, and the contracts value reached USD 769 million. The relevant government sectors and enterprises of Jinan look forward to the matching with ASEAN countries, by which the two sides could find the right point to start trade and investment cooperation, and promote the cooperation to a wider prospect and a deeper level. Ms. Gao Qun said that as the Belt and Road Initiative moves forward steadily, the trade and investment relations between Qingdao and ASEAN countries are getting closer and closer. In 2016, the two way trade volume between Qingdao and ASEAN countries reached USD 6.4 billion. Qingdao has attracted 195 investment projects from ASEAN with the investment value of USD 3.7 billion. Qingdao is in favor of encouraging its local enterprises to invest in ASEAN and expanding the trade relations with ASEAN, and therefore create a beautiful future together.

Mr. Witit Teeramungcalanon, Commercial Minister of the Embassy of Thailand, Ms. Rhenita B. Rodriguez, Commercial Minister of the Embassy of the Philippines, Ms. Razida Hanim Abdul Razak, Commercial Counselor of the Embassy of Malaysia, and Mr. Song Tao, Investment Officer of the Embassy of Malaysia, gave presentations on business environments and relevant economic policies of the countries they represent successively. They extended a warm welcome to Shandong entrepreneurs to enhance their economic and trade relations with ASEAN, expand cooperation and realize win-win results.

The participants raised questions in an active way. The parties thanked ACC for organizing this activity, which provided Shandong government sectors and enterprises with an official channel to understand the trade and investment policies of ASEAN countries, provoked the enthusiasm of Shandong enterprises to invest in ASEAN, and therefore played an important function in promoting the practical cooperation between ASEAN and China local provinces.