On 15th, June, the first session of China-South Asia High Level Roundtable Meeting for Business Cooperation was held in Yuxi, Yunnan province. Gao Yan, Vice Minister of Commerce attended the meeting and made a speech. Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Afghanistan, Zhang Guohua, the vice governor of Yunnan province, Than Myint, Secretary of Ministry of Commerce of Myanmar, Kamila Siddiqi Deputy Minister for trade affairs of Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Afghanistan, Adam Thaufeeg, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of Maldives, Karunasena Kodituwakku, the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to China also attended the conference and made speeches. There were over 400 representatives in business circles from China and South Asian countries.

Gao Yan pointed out that, China and South Asian countries are neighbors helping one another in defense work, sincere friends and win-win partners with mutual benefits. The “Belt and Road” initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping has been actively supported and participated by over 100 global countries and international organizations including South Asian countries. In the 2018 annual meeting of Boao Forum for Asia, President Xi Jinping announced the significant measure for China’s further opening up, which will invariably bring more development opportunities for economic and trade cooperation between China and South Asian countries and stimulate the cooperation between China and South-Asian countries to enter into new phase with more achievements and vigor.

Gao Yan indicated that, in recent years, a robust development momentum for economic and trade cooperation between China and South Asian countries has been maintained. In 2017, import and export value between China and South Asian countries reached US$ 126.77 billion, increasing by 14.6% over the previous year. The new contract amount of investment of Chinese enterprises in infrastructure construction has reached US$ 28 billion in South Asian countries and direct investment in South Asian countries has achieved US$ 1.7 billion. The first session of China-South Asian cooperation forum takes “strengthening cooperation with South Asian areas and stimulating local inclusive development” as the theme and aims at constructing a new platform for policy dialogue, economic and trade investment, people-to-people exchanges and experience sharing for China and South Asian countries to have joint consultation, joint construction and benefits sharing. It is regarded as specific practice to serve and stimulate the construction of new international relationship and the community of shared future for mankind. To stimulate cooperation between China and South Asian countries, there are following suggestions. Firstly, continue to expand the scale of bilateral trade and focus on import improvement from South-Asian countries. Welcome all of you to participate in the first session of China international import Expo in Shanghai in November. Secondly, give full play to the advantages of the two sides and deepen their cooperation in areas such as infrastructure. Thirdly, stimulate and deepen regional cooperation, accelerate the construction of free trade zones between China and other countries, quicken the progress of Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement and strengthen local cooperation.

Before this meeting, Gao Yan had attended the opening ceremony of exchange exhibition for best practice of China-South Asian local poverty alleviation.