Chinese and Southeast Asian businesses will put 6.15 billion US
dollars to jointly build machinery, building materials, consumer
electronics, farm produce, foodstuffs and other projects, the
organizers of the fourth China-ASEAN Expo said here Wednesday.
This figure represented a 5.28 percent increase from the
previous China-ASEAN Expo, said Li Jinzao, deputy director of the
organizing committee.
Agreements on a total of 182 international economic cooperation
contracts were signed during the four-day exposition, an annual
business gathering between China and the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN), involving a combined investment of 6.15
billion US dollars, Li said.
The ASEAN groups Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and
Cambodia.
Traders of the two sides also signed 1.42 billion dollars worth
of contracts over the past four days, up 12.1 percent year on
year.
Guangxi in south China, host of the exposition, reported trade
deals with ASEAN countries valued at 430 million dollars and 99
investment projects involving a total input of 3.61 billion
dollars, including 81 projects to be funded and built in China by
ASEAN businesses and 18 projects Chinese companies will operate in
ASEAN countries, said Li at a press conference at the end of the
exposition.
The largest sum of investment signed was a contract for Thai
rice export to Shenzhen City of China, which involves 110 million
dollars.
According to Li, also vice chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang
Autonomous Region, the number of Chinese and ASEAN companies and
institutions participating in the exposition increased 4.9 percent
to 1908.
(Xinhua News Agency November 1, 2007)
