On the evening of 14 June 2018, the Working Sharing Dinner and Rotating Presidency Activities of the 2nd CSEABF was held in Kunming, Yunan province. H.E. Mr. Li Zhengyang, Vice Chairman of Yunnan Provincial Committee of the CPPCC, H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre, Dr. Maung Maung Ley, Vice President of Myanmar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Mr. Liu Guangxi, Chairman of CCPIT Yunnan Sub-council, attended the activities. Government officials, envoys of embassies and consulates, representatives of business associations and well-known entrepreneurs from China and Southeast Asian countries, with a total number of 100 people were present.
H.E. Mr. Li Zhengyang, on behalf of the co-hosts, warmly welcomed all the participants and remarked that as one of the activities of the 5th CSA Expo, the 2nd CSEABF is an important new mechanism for China and Yunnan to promote a new round of opening-up to the outside world, aiming to setting up a good platform for regional countries to deepen cooperation and economic and trade exchanges. Southeast Asia is an important partner for jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative. China's cooperation with Southeast Asian countries has great potential and broad prospects. In recent years, China's cooperation with Southeast Asia has been injected into new vitality by the establishment of the ASEAN Community, the in-depth implementation of the Upgraded China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone and the successful start of the Lancang-Mekong cooperation mechanism. He suggested that Yunnan and Southeast Asian countries seize the opportunity to strengthen policy coordination, facilities connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration and people-to-people bond, and to find more common interests and space for new cooperation, in combination with the long-term development needs of their own and the region. He expected the forum to play a more active role in deepening the multi-channel, multi-level and multi-field exchanges and cooperation between China and Southeast Asian countries to promote more positive results.
Dr. Maung Maung Ley, Vice President of Myanmar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, on behalf of the Rotating Presidency of the 2ndCSEABF, thanked the organizers for providing an exchange platform for entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia and China. He opined that at present, economic globalization is facing such challenges as slow economic growth, rising protectionism, and inward-looking trend. Thus, all countries should strengthen coordination, deepen cooperation in various fields and jointly promote economic globalization. Myanmar and China are friendly neighbors with close economic and trade cooperation. China has become Myanmar’s largest trading partner and source of investment. China's economy has maintained a steady and rapid growth. He hoped that Myanmar and other neighbouring developing countries will take China's economic development express to further mutual beneficial cooperation and achieve common development.
The 2nd CSEABF was co-organized by ASEAN-China Centre and the People’s Government of Yunnan Province, and co-hosted by CCPIT Yunnan Sub-council, Yunnan International Expositions Bureau and Yunnan People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. Under the theme of "Connectivity, Cross-border Economy and Integrated Collaboration ", the forum aimed to build a platform of multilateral diplomacy, economic and trade cooperation and people-to-people exchange for China and Southeast Asian countries, so as to inject new impetus and vitality into practical cooperation between the two sides.