Introduction
At the 7th China-ASEAN Summit on Oct. 8, 2003, Premier Wen Jiabao of the People's Republic of China proposed that the China-ASEAN Expo would be held annually from 2004 in Nanning. His proposal was well received by leaders of ASEAN member states and was included in the chairperson's statement of the meeting.

At the same meeting, Premier Wen Jiabao also proposed to hold the China-ASEAN Business & Investment Summit in China . The 1st Summit will be held in Nanning along with China-ASEAN Expo.

In November of 2002, the leaders of China and the 10 ASEAN member countries signed the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Between ASEAN and China in Phnom Penh of Cambodia, which marked the beginning of the process to establish the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA). From January 1 of 2004, over 500 kinds of agricultural products in the CAFTA start to reduce customs duty while other goods will be cut gradually each year.

Since 1995, the bilateral trade between China and ASEAN has increased by over 15% annually. In 2002, the trade volume hit USD54.77 billion, with an increase of 31.7% than that of the previous year. In 2003, it reached USD78.25 billion, increasing by 42.9% than that of 2002. According to the consensus reached by the leaders of China and ASEAN member countries at the 7th China-ASEAN leaders' meeting, the bilateral trade between China and ASEAN will break USD100 billion by 2005.

Purposes of Expo
To promote the construction of CAFTA and share the opportunities of cooperation and development.

Targets of Expo
According to the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Between ASEAN and China and on the basis of the actual process of the CAFTA construction, the Expo, following the principle of mutual benefits and economic cooperation within CAFTA, will open to the business circles of the whole world. It will encourage combination of import with export, investment with introduction, exhibition with special forum as well as economic activities with cultural exchanges, thus to promote complementation of advantages, deepen economic and trade cooperation and eventually realize common prosperity in the CAFTA.

China tours inclusive of visiting Nanning