The 22nd ASEAN-China Entrepreneurs Conference, themed "Connecting Overseas Chinese Across Five Continents · Colorful Yunnan", was held in Yunnan from June 15th to 19th. Nearly 300 overseas Chinese leaders and business representatives from 45 countries and regions attended the event.
This year marks the 35th anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations and the 5th anniversary of the comprehensive strategic partnership between ASEAN and China. The stories emerging from the conference highlight that Yunnan is not only a place of nostalgia for overseas Chinese but also a collaborative stage for shared progress among Chinese entrepreneurs.
A Shared Vision, A Common Goal
At the conference's Belt and Road cross-border cooperation forum, enterprises and institutions including Cambodia's Siem Reap Angkor International Airport, Charoen Pokphand Group, Yunnan Changning Red Tea Industry, and Yunnan Tengwei Flowers shared their practices and visions for growth alongside the Belt and Road Initiative. Several companies reached preliminary cooperation intentions on-site.
A business representative from Myanmar noted, "Yunnan's open platforms are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with continuous policy benefits. It is the best springboard for entering the South and Southeast Asian markets."
Since its inception in 2003, the ASEAN-China Entrepreneurs Conference has evolved from a platform for investment attraction into a comprehensive exchange platform encompassing global Chinese business networking, economic and trade cooperation, cultural exchange, and youth interactions. Over the past two decades, it has facilitated investments in Yunnan by a number of Fortune Global 500 Chinese enterprises.
Why Yunnan? The answer lies within Yunnan's landscape and in the increasingly close-knit community of shared future between China and its neighboring countries, as well as nations worldwide. Yunnan possesses a unique geographical advantage facing South and Southeast Asia, with prominent strengths in green energy, tourism resources, and distinctive agriculture. The China-Laos Railway, a "golden channel," further extends the possibilities for openness.
Wu Huanyan, Vice Chairman of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese and President of the Federation of Ten Districts Fellow Associations of Hong Kong, stated that Yunnan, as an open frontier facing South and Southeast Asia, is a vivid example of China's high-level opening-up and an ideal place for overseas Chinese to pool capital, stimulate intellectual resources, and unite efforts.
During the conference, at the Yunnan Overseas Chinese Exchange and Cooperation Meeting, the Yunnan Provincial Investment Promotion Bureau, along with the cities of Baoshan and Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, delivered thematic presentations. The potential of Yunnan's industries, including green energy, plateau-specific agriculture, cultural tourism and wellness, cross-border commerce, new materials, and intelligent manufacturing, was showcased to the attendees.
The Yunnan Provincial Department of Commerce's presentation on "Yunnan Enterprises Going Global" at the Belt and Road forum allowed business leaders to see more possibilities for development in Yunnan. Technology project roadshows featured high-quality innovation projects in digital economy, green energy, biomedicine, and smart transportation.
Participants also visited industrial parks and project bases in Baoshan and Honghe, gaining a clearer and more concrete understanding of Yunnan's industrial foundation and investment environment.
Wu Huanyan expressed commitment to leveraging the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as a link, fully utilizing the special role of "using overseas Chinese to attract more overseas Chinese," and promoting more overseas Chinese capital, talent, and efforts to take root and flourish in Yunnan.
Lin Wenmeng, President of the Myanmar Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, stated that, aligning with the new cooperative consensus between China and Myanmar, he looks forward to finding more investment opportunities in Yunnan to enhance Sino-Myanmar economic ties and friendship.
Yao Bin, President of the Laos Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, said that standing at the new starting point of the 65th anniversary of China-Laos diplomatic relations, the chamber will utilize the China-Laos Railway "golden channel" to deepen precise alignment and practical cooperation between Yunnan and Laos in areas like distinctive agriculture, cross-border e-commerce, cultural tourism and wellness, and green industries. It will also promote exchanges in education, culture, tourism, and youth, while uniting overseas Chinese businesses in Laos to integrate into local society and contribute to building a China-Laos community with a shared future.
Building Bridges Across Continents
Last October, 180 new energy vehicles were shipped from Yunnan to the Pacific island nation of Fiji, providing locals with a new green transportation option. This cooperation was facilitated by Yang Hongshu, President of the Tonga International Trade and Cultural Development Promotion Association. She said choosing Yunnan was due to the professional team there, and she highly认可s Yunnan's business environment and partners. This year, she plans deeper cooperation with Yunnan in areas like building a tea trading platform.
"Currently, overseas Chinese businesses are very active. Many who have achieved successful overseas investments are proactively returning to China to connect resources, focusing on emerging sectors like AI and new energy," Yang Hongshu noted, pinpointing the alignment between overseas Chinese entrepreneurs and China's opportunities: they bring overseas development experience while also transmitting China's development opportunities outward.
"Technology needs scenarios for implementation, and Yunnan offers vast development space," said Fang Mingliang, Chairman of Westlink Data Technology (Yunnan) Co., Ltd., who brought his work experience from the United States back to Yunnan. He introduced their closed-loop financial service system driven by fast-moving consumer goods transaction data, which has been implemented in cities like Yuxi and Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture.
Targeting small and medium-sized supermarkets, Westlink addresses pain points like financing difficulties and weak digital management capabilities by building a model combining "supply chain operations + digital systems + supply chain finance" to help optimize operations and obtain more precise funding. The project has delivered tangible growth for partner supermarkets and plans to expand to more prefectures in Yunnan.
"Yunnan is a very beautiful place," said Xie Yi, Senior Vice Chairman of Charoen Pokphand Group. In his view, Yunnan's beauty lies in the pure flavors from field to table, and even more in the vitality and potential of its openness and connectivity. Charoen Pokphand Group entered Yunnan in 1991 and has continued to deepen its presence in seed breeding, planting, feed, breeding, and food processing, becoming a model of China-Thailand cooperation. The company is now actively exploring new directions in Yunnan, focusing on the coffee industry in Pu'er City and expanding high-end mineral water business in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.
Xie Yi stated that Yunnan's plateau-specific agriculture offers distinct advantages. Charoen Pokphand Group hopes to collaborate with various partners to promote upgrades across the entire industry chain and build an ecosystem from farm to table. Additionally, the group plans to establish an international trading company in Yunnan, leveraging the advantages of the China-Laos Railway to facilitate the exchange of agricultural and other specialty products between China and Thailand while exploring more cooperative opportunities.
A Bond That Spans Mountains and Seas
In May this year, former Real Madrid captain Manolo Sanchís visited Jinping Miao, Yao, and Dai Autonomous County in Honghe Prefecture, sharing the charm of football with local children. This green field encounter was facilitated by Chen Suzhong, President of the Spanish Chinese General Chamber of Commerce. Chen said Yunnan makes him feel亲切 and warm, and football is a language that connects the world. He is optimistic about deep cooperation between Yunnan and Spain in areas like youth football training.
Many overseas Chinese express a sense of closeness upon setting foot in Yunnan, regardless of whether it is their hometown. A football match, a business trip – dreams of development and cooperation quietly take root, connecting to China and the wider world.
Zhu Yan, President of the Canada Yunnan General Chamber of Commerce, Chair of the Toronto Chinese Community Association, and Chair of the Canada Trade and Investment Promotion Association, is a native of Yunnan. She has organized multiple Canadian delegations and investment groups to visit Yunnan, facilitating the signing and implementation of projects integrating tea culture and tourism, ecological management, and traditional Chinese medicine granule industries. Simultaneously, she promotes Yunnan's distinctive culture to various sectors in Canada and holds exhibitions to introduce Yunnan's packaged rice noodles, mushroom soup bases, plateau nuts, and TCM-related products.
Zhu Yan expressed her hope to further promote economic, trade, and cultural exchanges between Canada and Yunnan. Her next step is to establish a China-Canada Innovation and Entrepreneurship Park, building a regularized platform for Yunnan-Canada economic and trade services.
Jiang Bazhengzhui, President of the Yunnan Provincial Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese Youth Committee, noted that in recent years, the committee has strengthened cross-provincial linkages, industrial cooperation, and attracting business through overseas Chinese networks. This year coincides with the 30th anniversary of Shanghai-Yunnan cooperation, with youth collaboration between the two places weaving a profound bond across mountains and seas.
Yao Heng, President of the Shanghai Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese Youth Association, said that since signing a friendly alliance agreement in 2022, the youth organizations of Shanghai and Yunnan have carried out a series of practical collaborations. From mutual visits to exhibition promotions and thematic inspections, cooperative projects between the two youth groups have increased. Meanwhile, brand activities like "Connecting Overseas Chinese Across Five Continents · Shanghai CIIE" and "Connecting Overseas Chinese Across Five Continents · Colorful Yunnan" provide a broader stage for exchanges.
Furthermore, their cooperation is actively extending into public welfare and social services. In Yao Heng's view, overseas Chinese youth are backed by China's profound cultural heritage and tremendous innovation momentum, while facing the diverse landscapes of different countries worldwide. The next step involves continuously deepening institutionalized and regularized linkages between the Shanghai and Yunnan youth organizations, extending the collaborative network to the district and county levels, expanding cooperation fields, enhancing cooperation capabilities, and actively promoting collaborative innovation in emerging areas like artificial intelligence and biomedicine,助力ing youth to deeply integrate their personal奋斗 dreams into the stage of the times.
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