A forum on innovative cooperation between China and ASEAN brought hundreds of participants from around the globe - including experts, scholars, government officials, industry leaders and innovative pioneers - to Nanning in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Nov 15 and 16.

With the theme of "pursuing win-win cooperation for China and ASEAN - new thoughts, new opportunities and new patterns", the 2nd Tsinghua Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, or the 10th Innovation Forum, targeted the common prosperity of China and ASEAN countries through innovative cooperation. 

Hu Xianzhang, former Party secretary of Tsinghua University, noted that Nanning is a gateway city for the Belt and Road Initiative and Tus-Holdings plays an leading role in building up a battery of scientific and technological innovation frontier bases including Nanning.

Hu Xianzhang, former Party secretary of Tsinghua University, pays attention to the construction of the scientific and technological innovation frontier bases. [Photo provided to gxzf.gov.cn]

Tus Holdings has grown into China's largest technology group after 24 years of effort. In the future, Tus will devote itself to cultivating more strategic emerging industries and enterprises to create clusters of innovative business models and give a push to the development of the Belt and Road Initiative, said Wang Jiwu, chairman of Tus-Holdings.

Wang Jiwu, chairman of Tus-Holdings, hopes that the forum will make great contributions to civil-military integration. [Photo provided to gxzf.gov.cn]

The Nanning - Thus ASEAN Innovation Center was launched at the opening ceremony, as well as the Thus Civil-military Integration Institute, both of which are expected to help realize the national strategic plan of revitalizing the army through science and technology.

Yu Hongjun, former vice-minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, said that the construction of the Belt and Road will break new ground in promoting a new round of opening-up at a higher level.

Han Win Aung, minister of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar Embassy in China, said that over the past 15 years, the cooperation between China and ASEAN has achieved brilliant results and both sides will expand and deepen their bilateral strategic and cooperative partnership in the next few years.

Han Win Aung, minister of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar Embassy in China, says that technology-driven development will greatly promote cooperation between both sides. [Photo provided to gxzf.gov.cn]

As the location of the China-ASEAN Technology Transfer Center, Guangxi has established bilateral technology transfer mechanisms with nine ASEAN countries in order to achieve innovation-driven development, said Cao Kunhua, head of the delegation and director of the Guangxi Science and Technology Department.

Cao Kunhua, head of the delegation and director of the Guangxi Science and Technology Department, makes a keynote speech at the ceremony. [Photo provided to gxzf.gov.cn]

According to Xu Ningning, executive director of the China-ASEAN Business Council, China and ASEAN have reached an important consensus on bilateral development goals and directions. He additionally stressed that both sides should take full advantage of the existing cooperative mechanisms, including the CHINA-ASEAN Expo and the CHINA-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, to further promote the upgrade of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area.