Xinhua Insight: Pan-Beibu Gulf members clear barricades for land, waterway connectivity

Boosting the interconnectivity of port cities and improving land link in southeast Asia have become the common objectives of countries at the ninth Pan-Beibu Gulf (PBG) Economic Cooperation Forum.

The forum held on Thursday in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, drew more than 400 representatives from governments, international organizations, and businesses from China and the PBG countries of Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei and Thailand.

A proposal on developing a China-Indochina Peninsular Economic Corridor was issued at the end of the forum. A secretariat for a network of ports in China and ASEAN was also set up, with the signing of the first joint development memorandum.

Initiated in 2006, PBG Economic Cooperation has become a sub-regional collaboration system under the China-ASEAN framework. The PBG Economic Zone covers the Chinese provinces of Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan, as well as ASEAN countries on the gulf.

SEAS RECONNECTED

Since ancient times, southeast Asia has been an important hub along the historical maritime Silk Road, a commercial route on which China sold silk, ceramics and tea to overseas markets. Now a 21st century maritime Silk Road is taking shape, carrying more responsibilities other than trade.

"Maritime interconnectivity is key to deepening the PBG cooperation," said chairman of the autonomous region Chen Wu at the opening ceremony.

"Countries along the route should make full use of the Silk Road Fund, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation Fund to promote port construction and logistics development," Chen said.

The Port of Beibu Gulf in Guangxi now sends 26 ships every week to Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Myanmar -- almost all the major ports in southeast Asia.

Winichai Chaemchaeng, vice commerce minister of Thailand, said construction of transportation infrastructure and trade logistics is very important to PBG members as they share common borders and the same maritime passage.

"Better ports and seaways will significantly improve the distribution system in the region, and promote trade and investment of China and ASEAN," he said.

According to China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), besides three waterways, China has six roads, two railways, two oil and gas pipelines and about 20 road, railway and water ports to Indochina Peninsular.

"The number of the passage ways is unparalleled, and their efficiency is improving at an unprecedented speed," said Zhai Dongsheng from the NDRC.

SMOOTH ROAD AHEAD

Roughly a decade ago, about 20 race cars departed Nanning on the first China-ASEAN International Auto Rally. The 11,000-km trip crossed Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Malaysia before reaching its destination in Singapore, the southern end of the Indochina Peninsula.

"It used to take three to four hours for racers to pass some gateways due to tedious clearance procedures, but now 10 minutes will do," said Ma Jitong, deputy director of the rally's organizing committee who has revisited the route every year since the third rally.

"Road conditions have also been improving, with higher grades of road and less accidents," Ma said.

The Nanning-Singapore route is a vital part of the China-Indochina Peninsular Economic Corridor, one of the six major economic corridors in the "Vision and Actions on Jointly Building Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road" issued by Chinese government last March. The corridor has wide support from countries along the route.

Khamphao Ernthavanh, Laotian vice minister of Foreign Affairs, said Laos, as the rotating chair of ASEAN this year, has introduced numerous policies to turn itself from an inland country into an external and connected one, which accords with people's aspirations.

She said the economic corridor linking Laos with China on the north and Thailand to the southwest has made a significant contribution to trade and development.

Her remarks were echoed by Kong Cho Ha, the special envoy of Malaysian Ports to China and chairman of Port Klang and Malacca Authority, who said Malaysia is willing to further cooperation with China and other ASEAN countries and create more opportunities in trade, logistics, infrastructure and investment.

Guangxi will better play its role in connecting PBG countries with western, central and eastern Chinese provinces via land and water, realizing a higher level of connectivity of policies, facilities, trade, capital and people, said Guangxi Communist Party secretary Peng Qinghua.

"With regard to this, the regional government is actively lobbying for free trade zone status for the Beibu Gulf," Peng said. Endi