CRI听力：China, ASEAN Agree to Further Boost Cooperation

The China-ASEAN Expo has turned out to be a bless event for business people from China and ASEAN countries at a time of global economic slowdown. Total business turnover and newly concluded contracts had notable increases over those of last year. Attendees at the expo have agreed to enhance cooperation between China and other ASEAN nations in regards to the current global financial crisis. Our report Tu Yun has the details.

Report:(WWW.hxen.net)

Officials, experts and traders attending the China-ASEAN Expo agree that cooperation is paramount in helping China and other ASEAN countries deal with the current financial crisis.

Nicholas Tandi Dammen, Deputy Secretary General of ASEAN, said at the closing ceremony on Saturday that China and other ASEAN nations are huge markets which can benefit each other.

"I think in this case, by increasing the volume of trade within our regions, we can help to maintain the livelihoods of our small and major enterprises and also to maintain their ease in producing goods."

The four-day expo attracted a total of 2,100 enterprises from China and other ASEAN countries. Total business turnover at the expo was nearly 1.6 billion U.S. dollars, up about 12 percent on the previous expo.

Binhtien Imex Corp, one of the leading footwear manufacturers in Vietnam joined the annual expo for the fifth time. Nguyen Thi Nhan, manager with the company's Nanning office, said he's confident about the future of the market in China.

"We have expanded our business by participating in the expo. Our sales in China have increased by 50% year-on-year. At the moment Europe is our biggest market but I think China will replace it within one or two years."

Chinese enterprises focused on high-tech and advanced products at this years expo compared with last year's agriculture-oriented focus. Newly concluded contracts have been valued at 2.8 billion U.S.dollars, up 75% from last year.

The Expo was proposed by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao five years ago. ASEAN includes countries in the South East Asian region whose economies were seriously hurt by the financial crisis in 1997.