On September 21, 2012, Vice President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the 9th China-ASEAN Expo held in Nanning International Convention & Exhibition Center, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and visited the exhibitions halls.
At 9:00 a.m., amidst warm applause Xi Jinping stepped into the site of the opening ceremony together with ASEAN dignitaries and heads of delegation including Myanmar President U Thein Sein, Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Mohamad Yassin and Thai Deputy Prime Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong.
U Win Myint, Minister of Commerce of Myanmar, chaired the opening ceremony, and Chairman of People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Ma Biao, China International Trade Representative and Vice Minister of Commerce of PRC Gao Hucheng, and Myanmar President U Thein Sein successively addressed the ceremony. At about 9:30, Xi Jinping announced the commencement of the 9th China-ASEAN Expo and, in concert with foreign dignitaries, cut the ribbon for the opening ceremony.
After the opening ceremony, Xi Jinping visited the exhibition halls of the Expo accompanied by leading officials from the government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and other related departments. As his first stop in the visit, he came to the pavilion of investment cooperation, where the head of China Nonferrous Metal Mining (Group) Co., Ltd briefed him on the Group's cooperation with ASEAN countries-including Myanmar-in trade and investment. Xi spoke highly of the achievements Chinese enterprises have made in their investment cooperation with ASEAN countries in line with the "going out" strategy, and encouraged these enterprises to continue to make contribution to the promotion of a friendly and cooperative relationship between China and ASEAN.
After visiting the pavilion of Guangzhou in the "Charming Cities" theme exhibition area, Xi Jinping came to the pavilion of Myanmar-Country of Honor for the 9th China-ASEAN expo, where Myanmar President U Thein Sein was awaiting his arrival. Greeting each other with a cordial handshake, the two leaders jointly pressed a button and lit a beam, thus officially opening the pavilion of Myanmar. Then they watched a video featuring Myanmar's development and cooperation with China. In his talk with U Thein Sein during the visit, Xi extended his congratulations on Myanmar's expanded participation in the expo this year and thanked Thein Sein for his coming all the way to attend the expo in person.
Having attended the opening of the pavilion of Myanmar, Xi Jinping came to the pavilion of advanced technology, where he was briefed by leading officials from the Ministry of Science and Technology, PRC on China's achievement in technological innovation as well as China's cooperation with ASEAN countries in science and technology. Xi lingered in front of the globe showcasing China's achievement in aerospace technology, taking close looks and inquiring about the technological developments. With great interest, Xi then came to a new energy car. Delighted that China has been making steady progress in aerospace technology and a growing number of indigenously developed electric cars are being put into use, Xi encouraged science and technology workers in China to adhere to the principle of independent innovation, constantly improve the industry's core competencies, and do their part to help accelerate the construction of an innovative country.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of both the signing of the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Co-Operation between ASEAN and the People's Republic of China and the launch of China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA). While featuring an overall theme of "cooperation in science and technology," the China-ASEAN Expo this year sets the venue for 13 high-level meetings, forums and exchanges including the China-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Science and Technology as well as others in the fields of finance, quarantine, advanced manufacturing industry, logistics, medical science and culture.