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Speech by Huang Yunbo, vice mayor of Kunming

By Li Yingqing and Guo Anfei
Updated: 2010-09-20 10:50

About 200 delegates including government officials, entrepreneurs, trade association representatives, and embassies of the ASEAN nations gathered for the China-ASEAN Industrial Cooperation conference in Kunming from Sep 17 to 19.

“China-ASEAN Free Trade Area(CAFTA), which took effect on January 1, becomes a grand regional economy with a combined consumer population of 1.9 billon and an annual trade volume of US $4.5 trillion,” said Huang Yun bo, vice mayor of Kunming city.

As each other’s fourth largest trade partner and mutual benefits from resource sharing, China and ASEAN have vast potential for all sectors, including technology, energy development, tourism and logistics.

“Kunming’s trade with ASEAN increased sharply in recent years, rising 24.2 percent in 2009 despite the global economic crisis,” he said.

Trade volume reached $ 1.37 billon in the first eight month of this year, which represents a 53.4 percent increase year on year.

With the opening of Kunming-Bangkok International Highway, the planning and construction of the Pan-Asian Railyway, the Kunming International Airport and other infrastructure projects, Kunming will improve its function as China’s bridgehead in opening to south and southwest Asia, he added.

Kunming is located uniquely at the convergent point of 9+2 Pan Pearl River Delta Economic Cooperation rim, China-ASEAN Free Trade Area rim and the Greater Mekong Sub-region Economic Cooperation zone. As the state grade I port city for China to interact with the Southeast Asia, Kunming is one of the important transport hubs in west China.