PR91929

CHANGCHUN, China, Sept. 27, 2021 /Xinhua=KYODO JBN/--

The 13th China-Northeast Asia Expo kicked off on Thursday in northeast China's

Jilin Province, according to China Council for the Promotion of International

Trade Jilin Committee.

The five-day event in Changchun, the capital city of Jilin, is the first

international expo held in Northeast Asia since the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Over a thousand enterprises from some 40 countries and regions have registered

in the expo.

Data shows that China's trade with the Northeast Asian countries totaled about

417.9 billion U.S. dollars in the first half of this year, up 26 percent year

on year. The cumulative two-way transaction value exceeded 250 billion U.S.

dollars.

China has been deepening cooperation on infrastructure construction, energy,

manufacturing and agriculture with these countries.

In the first eight months of this year, the trade volume between Russia and

China was nearly 90 billion U.S. dollars, up by a third year on year, said

Andrey Denison, Russian Ambassador to China.

During the expo, the participants reached a consensus that the pandemic has

highlighted the necessity of accelerating regional economic integration, and

Northeast Asian countries are embracing new opportunities for regional economic

and trade cooperation.

Now, China and Northeast Asian countries are having dialogues and cooperation

under various regional economic cooperation frameworks such as the Belt and

Road Initiative and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). In

addition, all countries have seen more chance for cooperation in areas such as

the innovation and development of the digital economy and the joint efforts in

face of global climate change.

Nagasaka Yasumasa, State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of

Japan, said the fast implementation of the RCEP will further expand the

cooperation in Northeast Asia.

He noted that many Japanese companies have businesses in China's northeastern

region. Now, Japan has reached agreements on collaborations in the fields of

hydrogen energy applications and low-carbon city construction with Jilin

Province and other regions.

Politicians and businessmen believe that the integration of the development

strategies of Northeast Asian countries with those of China will help the

competitive industries of these countries better keep pace with the global

development.

S. Amarsaikhan, Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia, said the country has been

actively promoting the construction of Mongolia-Russia-China Economic Corridor

and the integration of its domestic projects with the Belt and Road Initiative.

The participants have reached an agreement to strengthen collaborations on

marine economy, promote the liberalization and facilitation of trade, and

intensify regional cooperation.

Source: China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Jilin Committee