During the 2017 China-ASEAN EXPO (CAXEPO) in Nanning, Guangxi, SCSI participated in the China-ASEAN Port Cities Cooperation Network Working Conference organised by the Chinese Secretariat of China-ASEAN Port Cities Cooperation Network. SCSI supported the event inviting its partners from the Port of Haiphong, Viet Nam, as well as presenting on “Port Cooperation for Regional Development: European Experiences”.
The conference brought together public and private actors from ASEAN and China Port Cities as well as academia and maritime experts to deepen port and port cities cooperation in the region. The platform has become an important mechanism for political and commercial exchange between ASEAN and China regarding port cooperation. Especially Haiphong could benefit from improved port cooperation in the region due to its immediate proximity to the ports of Guangxi Autonomous Province since Guangxi has an ever-increasing importance within promoting China-ASEAN connectivity.
The China-ASEAN port cities network cooperation includes the cooperation areas of port construction, port industry, trade and tourism, shipping logistics, customs clearance facilitation and port cities collaboration. The Working Conference was also joined by Phnom Penh Autonomous Port as well as Sihanoukville Port from Cambodia. As Haiphong, both ports could improve their capacities through increased regional port cooperation through active participation in the China-ASEAN Port Cities Cooperation Network.