On August 29, the press conference of the "2017 China-ASEAN Agricultural Production Industry Summit Forum" (hereinafter referred to as "Forum") was held in Beijing. Li Dianping, Director of the Organizing Committee of the Forum, Director General of the Bureau of Agricultural Means of Production of the All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives (ACFSMC) and President of China-ASEAN Chamber of Agricultural Commerce (CACAC) introduced the basic information of the Forum, the progress of the preparatory work and its highlights, and took the questions of reporters. Fan Huiqun, Secretary General of CACAC presided over the conference.

Li Dianping announced at the conference that 2017 China - ASEAN Agricultural Production Industry Summit Forum will be held in Nanning, Guangxi during the period from 26th to 29th September. As an important annual event jointly organized by the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives and the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the Forum is an important high-level event of the China-ASEAN Expo and an important move to implement the strategic cooperation agreement between the ACFSMC and the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. In addition, it also an important exchange and cooperation platform for giving the policy resource advantages of China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone to full play promoting China's agricultural industry to go abroad, strengthening international capacity and economic cooperation, and accelerating the internationalization development. The forum is jointly organized by the Bureau of Agricultural Means of Production of the ACFSMC, Supply and Marketing Cooperatives of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, CACAC, China Agricultural Means of Production Association (CAMPA), and China Cooperation Times.

Themed on “Share the opportunity of the Belt and Road and deepen agricultural cooperation”, the Forum is held in various forms including special report, interactive discussion, practice sharing, exhibition and negotiation, and site visit. We will invite government departments in charge of agriculture, economy and trade, relevant associations and chamber of commerce, leading agricultural enterprises as well as experts in China, ASEAN and other countries to attend the Forum, thus building an exchange and cooperation platform of agriculture, economy and trade as well as information technology, promoting agricultural and economic development in China and Asia, and strengthening construction of the China-ASEAN free trade zone, the China-ASEAN community of common destiny and the Belt and Road.

Li said that the Forum this year is with great highlights, which are as follows:

First, the Forum is of high importance and large scale. The Forum has been given great importance and support by government departments and leading agricultural enterprises of China ASEAN and other countries. Participants of the Forum include leaders and experts from the ACFSMC, the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, embassies and consulates of Southeast countries in China and government department of ASEAN and other countries, China-ASEAN Expo Secretariat, relevant state departments of China, who will address at the opening ceremony or make a report. Leading enterprises in the field of agriculture, economy and trade of China, ASEAN and other countries as well as the news media are also actively signing up for the Forum. It is expected that the scale of the Forum will reach 180-200 people. 

Second, Representatives from ASEAN and other countries has high enthusiasm attend the Forum. At present, embassies and consulates of Thailand, Vietnam, Laosand Myanmar, relevant government departments and associations of ASEAN    countries have clearly expressed their willingness to send representatives to attend the Forum. In addition, other countries such as Timor-Leste, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka also actively sign up for the Forum. Next Step the ACFSMC will invite cooperatives of Asian countries to participate in the Forum. 

Third, the forum content is rich and pragmatic. The content of the Forum includes special report, interactive discussion, practice sharing, exhibition and negotiation, and site visit. The forum will invite experts from China and ASEAN countries to report on the agricultural, economic and trade development, investment environment and cooperation prospects in China and Southeast Asia. At the same time, the Forum will also invite participants to make on-site exchanges on the shared development, cooperation, win-win business opportunities in the field of agriculture along the Belt and the Road. Leading Chinese agricultural enterprises will share their experiences to go abroad and experiences of promoting China's high-quality agricultural products into ASEAN and other countries. In addition, representatives from ASEAN countries will introduce the high-quality agricultural products, investment and trade environment of their countries, and demonstrate their new products, new technologies, etc. For enterprises to conduct business cooperation, we will provide enterprises simple booths to demonstrate their products free of charge. 

Activities of the forum also includes organizing participants to visit the modern agriculture planting base of Guangxi Farmers of Agricultural Means of Production Co., Ltd., holding the opening ceremony of the International Trade Commission of CACAC, and signing the proposal of honest cooperation. 

Li said that the Forum is founded under the background of promoting the construction of the Belt and Road and strengthening the construction of China - ASEAN Free Trade Zone. As an important move to answer the call of the Belt and  Road, the Forum is not only an important cooperation and exchange platform for agricultural means of production industry, but also a specific action to strengthen the international capacity cooperation and agricultural, economic and trade cooperation. Since 2015, the forum has been successfully held two sessions consecutively, both receiving a good response. 

At present, organizers and sponsors of the forum is working together to jointly promote the implementation of the preparatory plan. The preparatory work for the forum is in full swing in accordance with the preparatory plan. We will do our best to build a fruitful international high-level platform for the agricultural industry of China, ASEAN countries and other countries.

At the conference, Li also introduced the basic information of the forum's main organizer CACAC and its advantage in promoting agricultural cooperation between China and ASEAN countries. China-ASEAN Chamber of Agricultural Commerce is established with the agreement of the State Council of China and the approval of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. It is the one and only international social organization charged by the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives as well as the first international chamber of agricultural commerce with “China-ASEAN” in its name. CACAC was established in December 2007. In December 2014, its secretariat moved from Nanning, Guangxi to Beijing. Currently, it is composed of five departments including integrated department, membership department, information technology department and exhibition&training department. It also has two branches, Nanning Representative Office and International Trade Committee. 

Li pointed out that since the establishment of CACAC ten years ago, CACAC ASEAN takes as its purpose serving for the agriculture of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone, actively seeking to promote agricultural economic and trade cooperation, technical exchanges and capacity investment between China and ASEAN countries as well as other countries, and striving to build a high-efficiency platform for the government, enterprises and social organizations, thus playing a positive role in promoting the agricultural development of China, ASEAN and other countries. CACAC has become an important platform for the ACFSMC to carry out exchanges and cooperation with ASEAN and other countries. Next step, CACAC will firmly grasp the opportunities of the upgrading of China-ASEAN relations, actively promote the construction of the Belt and Road and China-ASEAN community of common destiny, and strive to deepen agricultural, economic and trade exchanges and cooperation between China, ASEAN and other countries. At the same time, CACAC will strengthen the construction of itself, making it a well-known international organization with certain economic strength and influence.

Attendees of the press conference including principals of the General Office, Department of Associations and Societ, Bureau of Agricultural Means of Production of the ACFSMC, CACAC, CAMPA, China Cooperation Times. Reporters from Chinese mainstream medias including the People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency, Economic Daily, China National Radio, Farmers’ Daily, China News Service and Chinese agricultural medias such as China Agri-Production News and AgriGoods Herald attended the conference.