Beijing Review:

Liao: The WCEGA is a non-governmental economic organization, an organization for business, an organization of cooperation, an organization with expertise, a research organization and a developing organization. It is becoming a global economic organization through integrating the resource of Chinese entrepreneurs all over the world and through coordinating collaboration in international business.

Established in 1991, we now have more than 30,000 members all over the world, with a secretariat in Singapore. WCEGA consists of 12 departments and 60 guild branches.

What should be the nature of the relationship between China and ASEAN countries?

China plays the unique roles of geographic connections, commercial connections during ASEAN's economic development and ancestral connections. China is also a friend that is very geographically close to the 10 member states of ASEAN, all less than a three-hour flight away. Meanwhile, China also has the advantage of sea connections as well as railway and highway connections with some ASEAN states. One of the most important parts of the relationship is that the mutual complementarity in manufacturing and industrial sectors has led to China and ASEAN forming the world’s largest free trade zone.

We can see that 50 to 70 percent of insiders in industrial and commercial sectors in ASEAN countries are Chinese, who have all greatly contributed to successful economies of ASEAN countries.

What roles have Chinese business communities played in China-ASEAN political and commercial affairs?

Some ASEAN members established diplomatic relations with China more than 20 years after the founding of the People’s Republic of China. During the two decades before diplomatic relations were normalized, local Chinese business communities cooperated and supported China’s negotiations with these ASEAN countries. This cooperation included normalizing diplomatic relations in various forms by bridging exchanges for political leaders, supporting respective governments to launch negotiations with China, accompanying local governmental officials to visit China and enhancing commercial exchanges with China to increase bilateral economic interdependence and mutual complementarity between China and respective ASEAN countries. All these efforts enabled China to establish the brother-like diplomatic relations with ASEAN that exists today.

Looking at the future of a China-ASEAN free trade zone, what should Chinese business and industry insiders be doing to increase development?

ASEAN members differ greatly now. Singapore has become one of the world’s capital markets, Thailand has been developed into one of the world’s tourism centers, Malaysia is now one of the world’s Islamic centers, while Myanmar and Cambodia are two of the world’s most underdeveloped countries with poor infrastructure. The Philippines and Indonesia are not stable at this time. Thus, Chinese business people should find the appropriate focus during their dealings with different ASEAN members.

In Singapore, they should focus on the capital market and choose to list their companies there; in Thailand, they should invest more in tourism, hotels and residences and so on. In general, Chinese business people can expand their cooperation in the areas of finance, agriculture, transportation, telecommunications, public health, human resources, education, tourism, culture and sciences and technology, to improve cooperation levels.

What are your predictions for the role the WCEGA will play during China-ASEAN cooperation in the next five years?

Our major role is to help lift the level of China-ASEAN cooperation and provide a bridge for the framework agreements and plans of Sino-ASEAN cooperation. Through expanding project investments, industrial development and trade, we can strengthen and promote the close relations between China and ASEAN and lift both ASEAN and China’s industrial structure by enhancing commodity and service trade.

In the next five years, we will establish a WCEGA tower in Singapore. Taking the advantages of Singapore’s high level capital market, we can supply systematic services to our members in Singapore’s stock market. We also plan to maximize the potential of Singapore’s port and supply transportation services to our members.

Meanwhile, we need to build a venue in Singapore for famous Chinese brands and also use Singapore’s expertise in exhibitions and expos, to promote our member’s brands there.

With the importance of innovation so prevalent in all walks of business, WCEGA hopes to construct a global Chinese creative business center. Owing to the Singapore Government’s policies of attracting talent and innovative concepts, we can supply systematic services for our members in promoting their ideas.

Are there any specific programs you could mention?

From a tourism angle we have a lot to play with. Taking into consideration the famous tourism attractions in ASEAN countries, we will launch a series of tourism projects in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, which will include the construction of hotels and holiday villages. Through these projects, we can provide interaction for our members.

Investing and constructing Chinese business industrial parks and commercial parks in Viet Nam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines is another plan. The advantages of land, market and human resources in these countries can help our members develop and construct their production bases and trade bases there.

In China, we chose Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, especially in its capital Nanning, to launch a series of project integrations. China-ASEAN Expo is held annually in Nanning. After carefully consideration, we plan to establish a WCEGA UN sourcing center and multinational sourcing center in Nanning. Through constructing an industrial park in Nanning with investment from Chinese enterprises all over the world, especially from Europe and America, and local enterprises, we can invite manufacturers in China’s Guangdong Province and some enterprises from Singapore, Brunei, Thailand and Malaysia to Nanning, so that they can produce their products according to the orders of UN purchasing mechanisms and multinational purchasing mechanisms.

In order to support the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, we intend to construct an investment demo area in Nanning. The investment base with its own industries, product groups, production and sales system, supply and demand channels and financial assistance may supply an effective mode for ASEAN in their investment park construction.

This year is the 15th anniversary of the Sino-ASEAN dialogue. What is your expectation in the coming 15 years?

We hope business people in ASEAN countries and even Chinese business people all over the world can actively participate in the construction and development of the China-ASEAN free trade zone and work harder for the countries where they live during economic globalization. Under the current economic base, Chinese business circles in ASEAN countries should make joint efforts to promote the cooperation among ASEAN and China, Japan and South Korea, Sino-ASEAN dialogues, ASEAN Regional Forum, Asia Cooperation Dialogue, APEC, Asia-Europe Meeting and Forum for East Asia and Latin America Cooperation.