On 15th Oct, the 11th Pan-Beibu Gulf Economic Cooperation Forum and the 2020 Beibu Gulf International Gateway Port Cooperation Summit commenced in Nanning China. H.E. Lu Xinshe, Secretary of CPC Guangxi Committee of China, H.E. Jurin Laksanawisit, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce of Thailand, and H.E. Li Xiaopeng, Minister of Transport of China, gave live or video remarks respectively. H.E. Chen Wu, Governor of Guangxi, H.E. Dato Dr. Amin Liew, Minister at Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II of Brunei, and foreign guests from other ASEAN countries delivered their online speeches in the seminars.
Lu Xinshe said in his speech that the forum is of great significance in further deepening China-ASEAN cooperation and promoting prosperity and development in the Pan-Beibu Gulf region. Guangxi is willing to work together with all parties in the Pan-Beibu Gulf to improve the construction of new land-sea corridors, jointly forster new momentum for regional economic development, strengthen strategic alignment and policy interaction, and promote the implementation of the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership Vision 2030.
Li Xiaopeng said the continuous improvement of facility connectivity and transport facilitation between China and ASEAN countries has provided strong support for the two sides to be each other's largest trading partner. Ministry of Transport of China supports the enhancement of the Beibu Gulf Port’s functional positioning, and is willing to work with all parties to build it into a new international shipping and logistics hub of “Belt and Road” and an international gateway of new international land-sea trade corridor.
Dato Dr. Amin Liew spoke highly of the economic cooperation between China and Brunei. He introduced that in 2019, China was Brunei’s fourth largest trading partner with trade flow accounting for 8.9 percent of Brunei’s total trade. In addition, China was Brunei’s largest source of imports and the seventh largest destination for export. The establishment of Muara Port Company Sdn Bhd (MPC), the flagship project of “Brunei-Guangxi Economic Corridor”, has raised the efficiency of its container port operations by 60 percent, achieved higher trade volume by 20 per cent, fostered human capital development and consequently provided further job and business opportunities for Brunei’s economy.
Dato Dr. Amin Liew said that ASEAN and China are in the midst of establishing a multidimensional logistics network with the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor which promotes a more efficient logistics network and also facilitates trade between ASEAN and China. Brunei believes that Brunei-China cooperation not only strengthens the connection between China and BIMP-EAGA countries, but also benefits China-ASEAN cooperation as well as the Belt and Road Initiative and is looking at the opportunity through the existing cooperation in “Brunei-Guangxi Economic Corridor” to play a stronger role in the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor.