More Sci-Tech Content in the 18th CAEXPO

　　The whole universe hidden in the VR glasses, magnificent images shown on transparent screens, unmanned aircraft applied in seeding and fertilization... Sci-tech exhibition has become the new hot spot in the China-ASEAN Expo in recent years.

　　"We need to enhance innovation in science and technology and deepen cooperation on the digital economy ... to build a 'digital silk road' ." China's President Xi Jinping's keynote speech at the Opening Ceremony of the 17th CAEXPO pointed out a path for CAEXPO to promote China-ASEAN innovation and sci-tech cooperation.

　　Innovative Technology Intriguing

　　How amazing is artificial intelligence? Entering the exhibition area of Guihui (China) Technology Group (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., the ASEAN Welcome Robot on display not only has human actions and facial expressions, speaks human language, but also expresses emotions, realizing smooth and complete linguistic communication, and is the perfect tool for VIP reception.

　　Such a scene came from the 17th China-ASEAN Expo. "There are so many novel exhibits in the advanced technology section at CAEXPO, which is really eye-opening!" It is not difficult to see from the praise of the Thai businessman that adding innovative technology to the Expo makes CAEXPO more and more intriguing.

　　The upcoming 18th China-ASEAN Expo is using technological innovation as the "key variable" to deduce the optimal solution for China-ASEAN "deepening digital economic cooperatio" and to calculate the magnitude of value in building a "digital silk road".

　　—— There are more exchange activities in sci-tech and digital economy. During the 18th CAEXPO, China-ASEAN Technology Transfer and Innovation Cooperation Conference, China-ASEAN Digital Silk Road Summit and China-ASEAN Artificial Intelligence Summit will be held to pragmatically accelerate the construction of China-ASEAN Information Harbor.

　　—— Technology becomes more "hard-core" and innovation adds vitality. The 18th CAEXPO will continue to set up the Hong Kong section, and the technological power from the Greater Bay Area is actively becoming an important part of the domestic and international dual circulation. The exhibition will take interactive and experiential display as the core, and participants can experience the unique charm of Hong Kong in an "immersive" way through interactive games and physical display.

　　—— "Made in China" is on the show, and trade communication becomes smoother. The exhibition section for engineering machinery and transportation vehicle will also be set up in the 18th China-ASEAN Expo. "Smart Manufacturing" of construction machinery and transportation vehicles in China are becoming ASEAN buyers’ favorite.

　　Technological innovation is promoting the vigorous development of China-ASEAN two-way investment cooperation. According to Ren Hongbin, Assistant to the Minister of Commerce of China, as of the end of June this year, the total cumulative mutual investment between China and ASEAN countries exceeded 310 billion US dollars. Emerging areas such as high-tech, digital economy, and green economy have become the new growth point.

　　More Expectation on Digital Economy

　　In today’s world, a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is making robust progress, and digital economy is taking advantage of the trend and developing rapidly. The world economic situation is severe and complex, and trade protectionism is rising against the trend.

　　How can we build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future and shorten the gap of exchanges and cooperation between the two sides? Digital economy has become a high-frequency term, and the goal of CAEXPO’s digital transformation has become clearer.

　　E. Lim Jock Hoi, Secretary-General of ASEAN, said in his speech at the Opening Ceremony of the 17th China-ASEAN Expo last year that China and ASEAN countries are highly complementary in digital economy and have great potential for cooperation. He believed that China’s support would invigorate ASEAN’s digital transformation.

　　At the 17th China-ASEAN Expo, 86 international and domestic investment cooperation projects and a number of major digital economy projects such as the construction project of Big Data Center (Guilin) have been signed, and a batch of projects including the information service platform for the new international land-sea trade corridor has been initiated.

　　With the help of digital economy, the China-ASEAN "Digital Silk Road" is uprising. In the 18th CAEXPO to be held on September 10-13 this year, digital economy will build in the limited exhibition space a broader trade "space", as well as setting up intelligent "bridges" benefiting all countries.

　　5G, AI, smart city, e-commerce, big data... This year’s CAEXPO will upgrade the original electronic and electrical section to information technology section, and display of innovation application in digital economy will be added. 140 economic and trade activities will be held either online or offline during the Expo, focusing on industries such as digital economy. It is hoped that a number of representative projects for chain construction, strengthening, supplementation, and extension will be signed, so as to comprehensively improve the quality of contracted projects.

　　"Currently, the role of information and communication technology is increasing worldwide. We have witnessed digital economic cooperation becoming a new engine for regional economic growth," said Verasa Sompong, the Consul General of the Lao Consulate in Nanning.

　　Digital economy has injected a "booster" into the economic recovery of ASEAN countries. Secretary-General of ASEAN, H.E. Lim Jock Hoi, said that ASEAN hopes to further strengthen cooperation with China in innovation, technology, digital economy, interconnectivity, smart city, and new energy. China’s support to the construction of ASEAN’s smart city network and sustainable urbanization strategy will help ASEAN’s rapid recovery after the epidemic and strengthen the resilience of the ASEAN community.

　　On-line CAEXPO Offering More Opportunities to Communicate

　　A year-round On-line CAEXPO is built, providing services such as 3D exhibition halls, data traceability, online international conferences and business negotiations, etc. This "one-stop" service platform for cooperation and exchanges built at the 17th CAEXPO is very impressive.

　　Time has brought an iterative upgrade of the China-ASEAN Expo. The model of "physical exhibition + On-line CAEXPO" adopted in the 18th CAEXPO will organize online and offline economic and trade activities and guide more businessmen to participate in online matchmaking meeting. On-line CAEXPO will be running throughout the year to provide enterprises with regular economic and trade promotion services.

　　Online exhibitions and economic and trade activities for Lao PDR, the Country of Honor, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, etc. are advanced; functions such as "online display", "online conference", and "online negotiation" will be improved; live promotion conferences, product launches, and "one-to-one" video matching activities, etc., will be held; online exhibition will be throughout the year, and economic and trade promotion services will be provided on a regular basis. On-line CAEXPO has revitalized the 18th CAEXPO with more opportunities to communicate.

　　Wang Lei, Secretary-General of the China-ASEAN Expo Secretariat, said that On-line CAEXPO is an innovative move to respond to the impact of the epidemic and to promote China-ASEAN digital economic cooperation.

　　Relying on the platform of CAEXPO, the China-ASEAN Economic and Trade Center is unveiled in Nanning, aiming to build a "one-stop" service platform for China-ASEAN economic and trade cooperation through the model of "physical platform + internationalization + marketization", exploring continuously the potential of China-ASEAN trade.

　　At the press conference for the 18th CAEXPO held by the Information Office of the State Council a few days ago, Liu Hongwu, Vice Governor of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, an upgraded version of CAEXPO will continue to be built, serving the "10+1" cooperation, the RCEP countries and the BRI, to deepen cross-border financial innovation by accelerating the establishment of an open financial portal for ASEAN, to accelerate the construction of the China-ASEAN Information Harbor to create a "digital silk road", and to develop a major open cooperation platform.