Current Affairs News Eyes丨Xi Jinping delivered a video speech for this major international exhibition. What kind of clear messages did he convey?

　　On the morning of November 27, President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the 17th China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit.

This is his second time attending major international exhibitions after the Beijing Service Trade Fair and the Shanghai International Import Expo.

What kind of event is this?

What clear message does President Xi’s speech convey?

China-ASEAN Expo: Rejuvenated under the epidemic

　　Affected by the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the China-ASEAN Expo originally scheduled to be held in September this year has been postponed to November 27-30.

Despite the impact of the epidemic, this year's China-ASEAN Expo has bucked the trend and hosted a high-standard and new-style exposition.

　　The high specifications stem from the speech delivered by Chairman Xi Jinping at the China-ASEAN Expo.

In addition, leaders of ASEAN countries such as Lao Prime Minister Thong Lun, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesian President Joko, Myanmar President U Win Myin, and Philippine President Duterte also delivered speeches through video.

　　The format is new, and for the first time the exhibition will be organized in a combination of online and offline.

Among them, the total planned area of ​​the physical exhibition is 104,000 square meters, the total number of booths reaches 5,400, and there are more than 1,500 exhibitors on the cloud.

The form of "online and offline" exhibitions broke the boundaries of time and space and gave birth to new types of consumption.

　　This year coincides with the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area. The China-ASEAN Expo is an "addition" to China-ASEAN multi-field cooperation: the first Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area cooperation exhibition area and the first overall demonstration of China (Guangxi) free trade experiment For the first time, set up an international gateway port exhibition area, and set up a public epidemic prevention and health exhibition area for the first time.

　　The 10 years since the establishment of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area can be called the "Golden Decade" of bilateral economic and trade relations.

In the first three quarters of this year, the trade volume between China and ASEAN reached US$481.8 billion, an increase of 5% year-on-year. ASEAN became China's largest trading partner for the first time.

"Building a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future"

　　The China-ASEAN Expo and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit were held for the first time in 2004, and this year is the seventeenth.

In September 2012, then Vice President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the ninth session.

In his speech, he said that the China-ASEAN Expo and the Business and Investment Summit are not only a large platform for effective cooperation in various fields such as economic and trade jointly built by China and the 10 ASEAN countries, but also a booster for the construction of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area.

　　In his speech at the opening ceremony this year, President Xi Jinping said that the China-ASEAN Expo and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit are pragmatic platforms for promoting regional economic integration.

　　In October 2013, when Xi Jinping visited Southeast Asian countries for the first time after assuming the presidency of China, he delivered a speech entitled "Joining Hands to Build a China-ASEAN Community of Shared Future" at the Indonesian National Assembly.

　　In his speech at the opening ceremony this year, President Xi Jinping said that in the past seven years, China-ASEAN relations have become the most successful and dynamic model of Asia-Pacific regional cooperation and a vivid example of promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

He proposed: China is willing to work with ASEAN to build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

　　In October 2013, just after his first visit to Southeast Asia, Xi Jinping hosted the first symposium on neighboring diplomacy since the founding of New China.

He said at the meeting that the basic policy of my country's neighboring diplomacy is to maintain good-neighborly relationship with neighbors, to maintain good-neighborliness, peace and prosperity, and to highlight the concepts of affinity, honesty, benefit, and tolerance.

　　This year, in the face of the sudden new crown pneumonia epidemic, China and ASEAN have watched and helped each other to overcome the difficulties together, becoming a vivid portrayal of building a China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

From "Maritime Silk Road" to "Digital Silk Road"

　　The theme of this year's China-ASEAN Expo is "Building the Belt and Road Together and Prospering the Digital Economy."

In his speech on the 27th, President Xi Jinping put forward four initiatives, including enhancing strategic mutual trust, in-depth docking of development plans; enhancing technological innovation, and deepening cooperation in the digital economy.

　　A major focus of the in-depth docking of development plans is the docking and cooperation between China’s “One Belt One Road” initiative and the “ASEAN Connectivity Master Plan 2025”.

It was during his first visit to Indonesia in October 2013 that President Xi proposed that he is willing to develop maritime partnerships with ASEAN countries and jointly build the 21st century "Maritime Silk Road".

This is the same as President Xi’s initiative to build the Silk Road Economic Belt during his first visit to Central Asia, forming a complete “Belt and Road” concept.

　　In May 2017, President Xi proposed at the opening ceremony of the “Belt and Road” International Cooperation Summit Forum that we must adhere to innovation-driven development, strengthen cooperation in the digital economy, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, quantum computers and other frontier fields, and promote big data, Cloud computing and smart city construction are connected to become the digital silk road of the 21st century.

In recent years, the digital economy has increasingly become the future development direction of the world.

　　Since the outbreak of the epidemic, "digital economy" has become a hot word.

In many major multilateral diplomatic events held this month, the "digital economy" was repeatedly mentioned.

On November 22, President Xi made it clear in his speech at the 27th APEC Leaders' Informal Meeting that he would "release the potential of the digital economy."

　　This year is the China-ASEAN Digital Economy Cooperation Year.

In his speech on the 27th, President Xi said that China is willing to work hand in hand with ASEAN countries to seize the opportunity of a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation to promote digital interconnection and build a "digital silk road."

　　From the ancient Maritime Silk Road to the modern Digital Silk Road, China-ASEAN cooperation presents a broader blue ocean.

How to create the next golden decade

President Xi suggested

　　How to build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future? How to create the next golden decade?

President Xi Jinping also proposed to enhance economic and trade cooperation, accelerate the overall recovery of the regional economy; enhance anti-epidemic cooperation, and strengthen public health capacity building.

　　In his speech, President Xi said that China is willing to strengthen cooperation with ASEAN countries and take the 10th anniversary of the completion of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area as an opportunity to further implement the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement.

China welcomes the completion of the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement and hopes to take effect as soon as possible.

　　After 8 years of negotiations, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) was formally signed on November 15 this year, and the world's largest free trade area was born, covering ASEAN, China, Japan, Korea and other economies.

After the agreement comes into effect, more than 90% of goods trade in the region will achieve zero tariffs.

　　In his speech, President Xi stated that China is willing to carry out policy dialogues in the field of public health with ASEAN and strengthen cooperation in information sharing and vaccine production, research and development, and use.

China will actively consider the needs of ASEAN countries after the vaccine is put into use.

He also proposed that China is willing to implement the "China-ASEAN Healthy Silk Road Talent Training Project (2020-2022)".

　　In his speech that day, President Xi said that China will unswervingly expand its opening to the outside world, enhance the domestic and international economic linkage effects, and drive the world's common recovery through its own recovery. Countries in the world, including ASEAN, will benefit from it.

Looking ahead, the space for cooperation between China and ASEAN will be broader.

　　"We hope to see each other well, and our neighbors see each other well." Because our lips and teeth are dependent on each other, we share the same destiny.