Yunnan: a Gateway for South and Southeast Asia

Southwestern China’s Yunnan Province is upgrading its opening up to South and Southeast Asia, said Li Jimimg, deputy director general of the Department of Yunan Province at a press conference on June 6.
He made the remark during the 20th China Kunming Import and Export Fair (Kunming Fair) and the 5th South Asian Countries Trade Fair, which ran from June 6th to 10th. In recent years, the two fairs he been playing an essential role in Yunnan’s economy and trade.
This year’s expo secured trade value of $8.07 billion, up 15.9 percent on the previous year. Among the total value, the imports and exports totaled $1.81 billion, up 10.3 percent. The foreign direct investment during the fair amounts to$5.95 billion, 14.2 percent year on year and the foreign economy and technology cooperation contracts climbed to $310 million, a huge increase of 189.7 percent in successive years.
West Asia became the highlight of the fair and the exhibitors from West Asian countries like Iran, Turkey and Jordan made their debut at the fair. Guizhou Province held the rotating chairmanship of the Kunming Fair, while Pakistan became the country of honor at the South Asian Countries Trade Fair.
Over 136 business delegations at home and abroad participated in the fairs, including all those from South and Southeast Asia. The fair attracted more than 100,000 visitors, 12,000 exhibitors and 23,000 domestic and foreign purchasers. Foreign exhibitors took over 1,000 booths, accounting over 40 percent of the total.
“The Kunming Fair has become a great stage for China’s cooperation with South Asia, Southeast Asia and West Asia, and an event for regional people to enhance exchanges and friendship,” said Li Jiheng, Governor of Yunnan province at the opening ceremony of the fair.
The Kunming Fair begun in 1993. During the past 20 years, the two fairs he attracted nearly 150,000 foreign participants, with the trade value rising to 6.96 billion in 2011 from

1.76 billion of the first fair.

In addition to Kunming Fair, Yunnan is also actively participating in other trade activities held in China and abroard especially the trade negotiations between China and ASEAN, as well as e-commerce Li Jiming told China’s Foreign Trade, adding that “In the future, e-commerce as the new trend will exert more influence and trade value than the offline fairs.”
Yunnan, which borders Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, is making great strides in its economy and trade. In 2010, China launched the Bridgehead Strategyto build Yunnan into a social and economic corridor toward South and Southeast Asia.
In 2010, the volume of foreign trade exceeded 10 billion from less than 1.2 billion in 1993. Last year the total volume of foreign trade hit a record high of 16.05 billion, 1

2.7 times of what it was 20 years ago.

Despite the expanding scale of foreign trade, Yunnan is also tranorming its growth pattern and adjusting its structure. The composition of Fo

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reign Trade is improving; the market diversification is making achievements with its trade partners now numbering over 190 around the world.
Against the backdrop of the current world economy, Southwest China is believed to he huge potential. Yunnan serves as a gateway for China’s opening up to Southeast and South Asia with its geological advantages.
According to Li Jiming, massive infrastructure projects are currently in full swing to complete the transport and logistic networks in Yunnan. Construction has begun on 12 railroads connecting Yunnan with other parts of China as well as Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.
Last year, China’s bilateral trade with the ASEAN topped 362.9 billion U.S., up 23.9-percent year on year, while its trade with South Asia also increased by 20 percent year on year in 2011, Xinhua News Agency reported. The burgeoning trade between China and these countries has given Yunnan an impetus.