On 29 May 2025, Secretary General Shi Zhongjun of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) attended and addressed the Launch Ceremony of the Zhengzhou Cross-Border E-Commerce Conference & Foreign Trade Premium Products China Tour (Henan). H.E. Mr. Liu Ning, Secretary of the Henan Provincial Committee of the CPC and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People’s Congress, attended and announced the opening of the event. H.E. Mr. Wang Kai, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Committee and Governor of Henan, Mr. Long Yongtu, Co-Chairman of the Sino-International Entrepreneurs Federation and Chairman of the Center for China and Globalization, and Mr. Lim Byung-jin, Secretary General of the Association of North East Asia Regional Governments delivered speeches. Ambassador of Grenada to China, diplomats from Belgium, Türkiye, and other countries, as well as representatives from Chinese and foreign enterprises were also present at the conference.

Shi Zhongjun noted that the conclusion of negotiations for 3.0 version of CAFTA and the implementation of the RCEP agreement have further enhanced trade liberalization, unleashing cooperation potential in emerging fields such as the digital economy and green economy. As an innovative trade model, cross-border e-commerce has served as a vital catalyst for ASEAN-China economic and trade cooperation in recent years. Bilateral e-commerce transaction volume has surged from approximately $50 billion in 2020 to nearly $100 billion in 2024, accompanied by continuous improvements in policy frameworks and platform development for cross-border e-commerce. Considering that global economic cooperation is facing significant impacts from unilateralism and trade protectionism, presenting unprecedented challenges to international trade, it is expected that through practical cross-border e-commerce collaboration, the business communities from both sides could explore measures to enhance regional connectivity in both infrastructure and institutional frameworks, improve trade facilitation and logistics efficiency, and advance institutional innovations in cross-border payments, data flows, and standards mutual recognition—ultimately achieving industrial integration through commodity trade.

Prior to the ceremony, Secretary General Shi, alongside Governor Wang Kai and Vice Governor Zhang Min, toured the exhibition hall of the Foreign Trade Premium Products China Tour (Henan), which features over 300 foreign trade enterprises.

Secretary General Shi also gave an interview to Henan’s official mainstream media, including Henan Daily, Henan Television, International Business Daily, and Dahe.cn, addressing questions on ASEAN-China practical cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.