The 21st World Business Leaders Roundtable, with the theme of “RCEP — A New Vision for Regional Cooperation and Development”, was held in Xiamen on 7 September 2022. Mr. Ke Liangdong, Vice Chairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Mr. Alfredo Pascual, Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry of the Philippines, Mr. Huang Yantian, Vice Mayor of Xiamen, and Mr. Robin van Puyenbroeck, Executive Director of Business Development of the World Trade Centers Association, attended the opening ceremony and delivered live or video speeches. Mr. Guo Chuanwei, Director of the Trade and Investment Division  of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), attended the forum and gave a speech at the panel discussion with the theme of “A Unified Regional Market: Revitalising Trade and Investment”. Representatives from the embassies and consulates of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and other ASEAN Member States (AMS) in China, representatives from CCPIT and local trade promotion agencies and representatives from relevant business associations and enterprises also attended the forum.

Director Guo Chuanwei said in his speech that ASEAN and China have jointly promoted the signing and high-quality implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP). The two sides have played an important role in building a unified regional market and leading the development of regional economic integration. In the future, as RCEP continues to be effectively implemented, it will release more policy dividends for enterprises and consumers of its member countries, including AMS and China, and inject new vitality into regional economic development and prosperity.

The World Business Leaders Roundtable is one of the important supporting parallel forums of the China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT). It is co-hosted by the CCPIT and the Organizing Committee of CIFIT. This year’s forum is supported by ACC.