On September 17, 2026, the 23rd China-ASEAN Expo and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit opened in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council Ding Xuexiang attended and addressed the opening ceremony.

Ding Xuexiang stated that the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area serves as an important vehicle for building the China-ASEAN community with a shared future. In November 2021, at the Special Summit to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations, President Xi Jinping proposed to begin work toward the upgrade of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (FTA) 3.0 at an early date, charting the course for the FTA to move toward higher-level development. Thanks to concerted efforts from both sides, the China-ASEAN FTA has been operating steadily and yielded fruitful outcomes, giving strong impetus to regional economic integration and delivering tangible benefits to the people in the region.

Ding Xuexiang pointed out that upon its entry-into-force and implementation, the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol will inject sustained new dynamism into regional economic development. To build a higher-standard China-ASEAN FTA, he put forward four proposals. First, we need to comprehensively pursue higher-standard regional opening up. A more sound cooperation framework and institutional arrangements should be put in place, cooperation in standards and technical regulations deepened, and work accelerated to build an open, inclusive and rule-based large regional integrated market. Second, we need to upgrade trade and investment cooperation. The two sides should stand firm in their resolve to jointly tackle international economic and trade challenges, further expand the depth and breadth of cooperation, and jointly safeguard the stability of regional and global industrial and supply chains. Third, we need to deepen and substantiate cooperation in emerging sectors. Joint efforts should be made to boost the development of the regional digital economy, deepen cooperation on artificial intelligence application, facilitate trade in environmental goods and services, and foster new engines for high-quality regional economic growth. Fourth, we need to pursue more convenient and efficient connectivity. Leveraging the unique advantage of geographical proximity between China and ASEAN, the two sides should coordinate the development of infrastructure including railways, highways, ports and airports, remove bottlenecks in cross-border logistics, and jointly advance the high-quality development of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor.

Vice President of Myanmar U Nyo Saw, Standing Deputy Prime Minister of Viet Nam Pham Gia Tuc, Standing Deputy Prime Minister of Laos Saleumxay Kommasith and Secretary-General of ASEAN Khao Kim Hourn attended and addressed the opening ceremony.

Ding Xuexiang then declared the Expo open and joined other guests for the opening launch ceremony.

Following the opening ceremony, Ding Xuexiang toured the exhibition halls of the Expo and had interactions with heads of participating exhibitors.

On the afternoon of September 16, Ding Xuexiang respectively met with U Nyo Saw, Pham Gia Tuc and Saleumxay Kommasith. He noted that guided by the important consensus between the heads of state, China is ready to work with all parties to have frequent high-level exchanges, further align development strategies, and expand practical cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, so as to build a closer community with a shared future and make greater contributions to regional and global prosperity and stability. Foreign dignitaries spoke highly of China’s important role in regional development, and expressed readiness to deepen cooperation with China in infrastructure, economy, trade and investment, advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and deliver greater benefits to the peoples of both sides.

During his stay in Guangxi, Ding Xuexiang also conducted field research at the China-ASEAN Countries Artificial Intelligence Application Cooperation Center and the Guangxi Research Institute of Critical Metals on AI-driven cooperation and development as well as ecological environmental protection and governance.