On September 14, the "2022 China-ASEAN Petroleum and Chemical Forum for International Cooperation" was officially opened in Qinzhou, Guangxi. The forum is jointly organized by the Qinzhou Municipal People's Government, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Development and Reform Commission, the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, and China National Chemical Information Center.

Under the big opportunities of the establishment of China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership, the implementation of RCEP agreement, and the construction of the China-Asean Free Trade Area version 3.0, the forum theme on "Sharing the New Opportunities of RCEP and Embracing the New Future of Petroleum and Chemical Development". The forum focuses on the development and cooperation of petrochemical downstream industries such as high-end chemical fiber and textile, fine chemicals and new materials, and promotes the construction of cross-regional and cross-border industrial chains and supply chains, so as to better serve and integrate into the new development pattern.

Ms. Gu Xiulian, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Tenth National People’s Congress, delivers a video speech. Mr. Zhao Leqin, Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region People's Congress, Mr. Lin Guan, Secretary of the Qinzhou Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Party Working Committee of the Qinzhou Port Area of the Free Trade Zone, Ms. Marina Novira Anggraini, Commercial Counselor of the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing, and other distinguished guests attends the conference and delivers speeches. Mr. Li Shoushen, President of China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, Mr. Zheng Yuguo, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of Zhejiang University of Technology, Bioengineering College, Mr. Han Sheng, Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, and President of the Scientific Research Institute of Shanghai Institute of Technology, Mr. Zhang Xinmin, Vice President of China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textile, and Mr. Wang Xiongchang, Mayor of Qinzhou Municipal People's Government, and Director of the Qinzhou Port Area Management Committee of the Free Trade Zone delivers keynote speeches respectively.

Ms. Gu Xiulian, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Tenth National People’s Congress, points out that 2022 is the first year for the establishment of China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership, and also the starting year of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement. With the in-depth implementation of major national strategies such as the New Western Land-Sea Corridor and the Pinglu Canal, the implementation of RCEP agreement, and the construction of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area version 3.0, Guangxi's ASEAN-oriented green petrochemical industry, with Qinzhou as the core, has become increasingly prominent and has a broad prospect and a promising future. Gu Xiulian suggests that the China-ASEAN petrochemical industry should conduct more efficient dialogues on addressing climate change, strengthen policy communication and experience sharing, jointly promote the low-carbon transformation of regional energy and strengthen the technology exchange of renewable energy, and strengthen petrochemical low-carbon innovation cooperation to provide technical support for regional low-carbon sustainable development.

Mr. Zhao Leqin, Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region People's Congress, expresses that Guangxi, as a border region between China and ASEAN countries, is the frontier and window of China's opening-up and cooperation with ASEAN countries. Guangxi and ASEAN countries enjoy strong industrial complementarities, close cross-border industrial cooperation and a sound foundation for international cooperation on production capacity. In particular, the petroleum and chemical industry, as an important pillar industry for Guangxi's industrial revitalization and high-quality development, has always received strong support from all parties. At the same time, the industrial foundation has been continuously consolidated, the pace of green transformation has been accelerated, and the development environment has been continuously optimized, the petroleum and chemical industry therefore has become the priority and key area for Guangxi to deepen production capacity cooperation with ASEAN counties. With the implementation of RCEP agreement, Guangxi’s industrial advantages will be further highlighted, including location advantages, resource advantages, policy advantages, and latecomer advantages, which will surely provide a broad stage for all parties to deepen cooperation and achieve mutual benefit and win-win situation.

Mr. Lin Guan, Secretary of the Qinzhou Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Party Working Committee of the Qinzhou Port Area of the Free Trade Zone, makes a brief introduction about the economic and social development of Qinzhou, and says that Qinzhou is fully implementing the four-wheel-driven strategy of "building big port, strengthening industries, building coastal city, and building beautiful villages", accelerates the construction of international gateway port, makes the seaward economy bigger, stronger and better, and builds a strategic hub for the New Western Land-Sea Corridor. The theme of this forum is highly in line with the national development strategy and meets the high-quality development needs of Qinzhou. We sincerely hope that with the help of this forum, we, with an open mind, an open vision, and an open policy, will join hands with all parties to make Qinzhou a hot spot for investment and development, an area for industrial cluster, and a stage for open cooperation. We, together with all parties, will face the sea, explore the sea, thrive by the sea, and create a bright future for green petrochemicals.

Mr. Wang Xiongchang, Mayor of Qinzhou Municipal People's Government, and Director of the Qinzhou Port Area Management Committee of the Free Trade Zone, makes a keynote speech at the conference entitled Facing the Sea, Thriving by the Sea, Creating an Important Petrochemical Industry Cluster Oriented for ASEAN. Mr. Wang Xiongchang points out that after more than ten years of development, the foundation of Qinzhou's petrochemical industry has been continuously strengthened and its advantages have been continuously improved. In the future, Qinzhou will further develop and expand four industrial clusters including olefin new materials, chemical fiber and textile, fine chemicals, new energy materials, and promote industries to become high-end, smart and green. We hope to join hands with all parties to deepen cooperation in cross-border industrial chain, technological innovation, high-level talents, professional supporting services, etc., to jointly build an important petrochemical industry cluster oriented for ASEAN.

Ms. Marina Novira Anggraini, Commercial Counselor of the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing, shares the topic of The Potential of RCEP to Promote Petroleum and Chemical Cooperation. Marina points out that bilateral trade between China and Indonesia reached USD82.2 billion in the period from January to July 2022. As a result, Indonesia has become China's third largest trading partner in the ASEAN region. In terms of investment, China has become a strong player in foreign direct investment in Indonesia. China is the second largest investor with an investment value of USD3.6 billion for 1 315 projects in the first half of 2022, an increase of 16.8% year- on-year. The RCEP agreement provides new trade opportunities through tariff reductions, new rules of origin, and trade facilitation, especially for the petrochemical industry. However, the opportunities are often countered by challenges. Therefore, China and Indonesia should address these challenges through enhanced cooperation and joint efforts.

Mr. Li Shoushen, President of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, gives three suggestions on strengthening China-ASEAN petrochemical cooperation. Firstly, we should firmly seize the new opportunities of RCEP and continue to deepen China-ASEAN international petrochemical cooperation. Secondly, we should actively embrace digital transformation, and make joint effort to promote the construction of China-ASEAN Free Trade Area version 3.0. Thirdly, we should strengthen communications and cooperations, and jointly build a new future of green and low-carbon development. The development of a green and low-carbon economy is inseparable from the cooperation of upstream and downstream industrial chains. On the basis of deep integration of China and ASEAN petrochemical industry chains, it is expected to further establish a green and low-carbon economic ecosystem and form a huge green synergy for development in upstream and downstream, domestic and foreign. The development of a green and low-carbon economy is also inseparable from the establishment and continuous improvement of relevant mechanisms. All of these require the petrochemical industries of both sides to enhance exchanges and communications, continuously improve the cooperation methods, learn from each other's strengths and complement each other's weaknesses, supply each other's needs, and build a new model of green cooperation.

Mr. Zheng Yuguo, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of Zhejiang University of Technology, Bioengineering College, shares The Innovation and Development of Fine Chemicals: The Related Information of Bio-pesticide Manufacturing. He points out that the manufacturing standard of fine chemicals is an important indicator to measure the degree of intensification of one country's chemical industry. Pesticides and pesticide intermediates are important components of fine chemicals, and the green and high-quality development of the production are of great significance. As of the end of 2020, the production capacity of glufosinate-ammonium in China was about 26 000 tons, accounting for about 55% of the world total capacity.

Mr. Han Sheng, Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, and President of the Scientific Research Institute of Shanghai Institute of Technology, indicates that lubricating grease is one of the key factors affecting the reliability, stability and operating life of China’s intelligent manufacturing, green lubrication and high-end equipment. Therefore, China government put forward a higher requirement for it. The lubricating oil industry is a sub-industry of the petrochemical industry, and lubricating oil is prepared from base oils and additives. Its upstream is the supply of raw materials such as base oil and additives. The midstream is the manufacturing of lubricants. The downstream is mainly used in automobiles, engineering machinery, shipbuilding, etc. The level of lubricating oil use directly reflects one country's degree of economic development and equipment control status, as well as the differences in production efficiency and environmental awareness.

China is the world's largest producer and exporter of textiles and clothing. In the construction of the "Belt and Road Initiative", ASEAN is one of the key regions for China's textile international cooperation on production capacity. China and ASEAN countries have high complementarity in textiles and clothing. Therefore, there is a great potential for international cooperation in the region and form a closed-loop industrial chain, supply chain and value chain.

Mr. Zhang Xinmin, Vice President of China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textile, introduces that ASEAN has surpassed the United States and has become China’s largest exporter of textiles and clothing. China's garment processing is transferring to ASEAN countries and countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia, etc. have become the destinations for China's textile and clothing enterprises to go global.

This forum is the 3rd China-ASEAN Petroleum and Chemical Forum for International Cooperation, and also an important supporting activity of the 19th China-ASEAN Expo. There are also other concurrent forums including "China-ASEAN International Cooperation Fair of Chemical Fiber and Textile” and "China-ASEAN Fine Chemicals and New Materials Forum".

It is understood that relying on its unique advantages of the main hub of the new western land-sea corrido, Qinzhou has built a petrochemical industry cluster led by China National Petroleum Corporation, Shanghai Huayi Group Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Hengyi Petrochemical Co. Ltd., and Zhejiang Tongkun Group, and initially established cross-border industrial chain cooperation with Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia and other ASEAN countries in chemical industry, new energy materials and other fields. A number of major industrial projects of RMB10 billions is about to in full implementation, such as the transformation and upgrading of Petrochina Guangxi Petrochemical refining and chemical integration project, Huayi Qinzhou new chemical materials integrated base, Hengyi Qinzhou green chemical fiber base, Tongkun Qinzhou chemical fiber new material base, CNGR Advanced Materials Qinzhou base, Guangxi Gepai Battery New Material battery material base and so on. Qinzhou’s petrochemical industry is accelerating its transformation from basic chemical industry to a new pattern of high-end new materials industry, focusing on the development of four industrial clusters, including new olefin materials, chemical fiber and textile, fine chemicals, new energy materials. It is estimated that by 2025, the cumulative investment of Qinzhou's petrochemical industry will exceed RMB200 billion, and the industrial output value will exceed RMB200 billion, building an important petrochemical industry base oriented for ASEAN, and helping Qinzhou become the pioneer of Guangxi "Facing the sea and thriving by the sea".