On 9 June 2017, H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), exchanged views with Mr. Xiong Xue, Director-General of Chongqing Commerce Commission, and Mr. Xiong Lin, Deputy Director-General of Chongqing Commerce Commission, on investment cooperation between ASEAN and China and between ASEAN and Chongqing. Ms. Xu Yao, Director of Foreign Economic Cooperation Division, Mr. Li Xuesong, Director of Investment Promotion Division, and Mr. Zhang Xuehai, Deputy Director of Information and Public Relations Division of ACC, attended the meeting.

Director-General Xiong Xue and Deputy Director-General Xiong Lin briefed Chongqing’s socio-economic development and foreign exchanges. They stated that Chongqing is an important pivot of China’s grand western development programme and a node of the Belt and Road Initiative and Yangtze River Economic Zone. In 2016, Chongqing achieved regional GDP of RMB 1.75 trillion and ranked among the provincial regions with highest growth rates in China over the years. Chongqing maintained close business ties with ASEAN countries. In 2016, the total two-way trade volume reached USD 11 billion. The China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity and China (Chongqing) Pilot Free Trade Zone have provided new opportunities for Chongqing to increase economic cooperation with ASEAN countries. They hoped that the platform of ACC would help Chongqing accelerate its paces of going global and bringing in so as to achieve more in economic cooperation with ASEAN countries.

Secretary-General Yang commended the achievements of Chongqing’s Opening-up Policy and its contributions to ASEAN-China economic cooperation. She outlined the development of ASEAN-China relations and the recent work of ACC. She was confident that ASEAN-China economic cooperation has been productive and benefited both peoples. Promoting the cooperation in trade and investment between ASEAN and China is an important mandate of ACC. ACC has worked to provide platforms for both sides’ enterprises to match up with each other through organizing investment missions, trade promotion sessions and other forms. ACC would continue to serve as a bridge and a bond to link Chongqing and ASEAN countries in order to help Chongqing expand its exchanges and cooperation with ASEAN countries.

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