Interview: Laos to put China-ASEAN trade fair into play

Considering the 2nd China-ASEAN Expo an important event, Laos will actively take advantage of it to strengthen ties with other participating countries, luring more foreign investors and tourists, a Lao commerce official told Xinhua in an exclusive interview Friday in Vientiane.

"At the trade fair, we'll seize all opportunities to boost our export, tourism, and attract more investors and visitors from China and other members of ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations)," said Anoumone Kittirath, deputy director of the Lao Commerce Ministry's Trade Promotion Center.

Lao entrepreneurs and officials will engage in many activities at the expo and the 2nd China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit slated for Oct. 19-22 in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and organize a conference to introduce their great tourism potential and investor-friendly environment, she said, noting that Laos' national pavilion at the fair will center on exhibiting special features of her country's beauty spots, especially the World Heritage-listed site Luang Prabang.

"We expect to attract many foreign tourists and investors, especially Chinese ones. Besides tourism, we'll promote our rich natural resources. This time, we'll focus on zinc exploration and exploitation," Kittirath stated.

Laos plans to send around 70 officials and businesspeople from 26 enterprises, including 13 tourism companies and Don Chan Palace, the only five-star hotel in the country's capital, she said, noting that the delegation, which may be led by Lao Prime Minister Bounnhang Vorachith or a deputy prime minister, will bring with them such products as jewelry, handicraft and furniture.

"The actual number of Lao entrepreneurs attending the expo can be higher, since many people will participate in it as visitors, Kittirath stated, noting that the Lao prime minister and 14 Lao companies attended the first expo.

"This expo will give us bigger trade and investment opportunities, because we've made better preparation," Kittirath stated.

Laos has established a committee for the trade fair presided by the commerce minister, she said, noting that its members also come from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Committee for Planning and Cooperation, the Lao National Tourism Administration and the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

"Our preparation is in the final stage. We're working closely with the expo's secretariat. This allows us to foster our preparation more flexibly," the Lao official said.

Besides the expo, Laos attaches importance to a bigger opportunity: the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area. "ASEAN is a big market. China is even a bigger one. We'll take advantage of the free trade area to boost our exports, mainly agricultural products and herbal medicines. And minerals in the future."

At the 7th China-ASEAN Summit in 2003, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao proposed that a China-ASEAN Expo be held annually in Nanning from the year 2004 onwards, which won support of the ASEAN leaders.

The 1st China-ASEAN Expo and the 1st China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit were successfully held last November, with the attendance of 19,000 and more than 20.45 billion US dollars worth of business deals being struck.

Source: Xinhua