The China-ASEAN forum on exhibition and economic cooperation opened in Zhengzhou city, China, on August 5 with the representatives from the ASEAN embassies in China taking part.

Addressing the forum, Vietnam’s Ambassador Nguyen Van Tho, highlighted the role of the ASEAN-China free trade area in promoting trade.

Trade between China and ASEAN reached 136.5 billion USD in the first half of this year, up by 55 percent over the same period last year, he said, making China ASEAN’s third largest trading partner.

The ASEAN-China free trade agreement came into effect in January 2010.

The head of the Chinese sub-committee from the China-ASEAN Business Council, Xu Ningning, said that the increase in trade between China and ASEAN is an excellent opportunity for both sides to hold more trade fairs and exhibitions./.