CAEXPO Contributes to the “Sweet Industry”

Written by Tang Yi / Translated by Tang Yi

Sugar is a common family seasoning. China and ASEAN are both major sugar producers backed by geographical advantages, raw materials, and technology. They have always been “good partners” in the sugar industry. The China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO), as an important platform for open cooperation between China and ASEAN, provides both sides with opportunities to improve and upgrade the sugar industry chain and adds more momentum to China-ASEAN “sweet industry.” 

Work together for the “sweet industry” 

Signing projects reviews CAEXPO economic and trade effects. On September 21, 2019, the 16th China- ASEAN Signing Ceremony was held in Nanning, Guangxi. East Asia Sugar Group in Nanning, Guangxi, successfully signed three international cooperation projects. Those projects include: the production project of feed for ruminants and the Xylose production project (Phase I) signed between the East Asia Sugar Group and Fusui County, Chongzuo City; the Strategic Cooperation Agreement signed by the Fuel Ethanol Company of the Mitr Phol Group (the energy business segment of the Mitr Phol Group of Thailand, the parent company of the East Asia Sugar Group) and Biomass Energy Co., LTD of the COFCO in Guangxi. 

Moreover, CAEXPO also promotes economic and trade cooperation through trade fairs. Thanks to this important platform, sugar products from ASEAN countries have gradually gained greater visibility in the Chinese market and promoted their sales. 

At the 16th CAEXPO, a board with the slogan “Be Beneficial to Diabetics” attracted people passing by the booth in the Indonesian zone named ORGAREN. “It tastes like caramel and has a strong scent of vegetation,” said Mr. Li, who was so curious that he ate one free palm sugar on the booth. 

Palm sugar, also known as coconut sugar, has a glycemic index of 35, which is about 50 percent lower than cane sugar, making it a natural organic sweetener even for diabetics, said Dianawi, an exhibitor of palm sugar. “Compared with ordinary brown sugar, palm sugar not only has a lower glycemic index but also contains rich vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. It is warm-natured and beneficial to the spleen and stomach.” Dianawi warmly received waves of viewers and merchants who came to inquire. Also, sweet and delicious coconut sugar and other sugar products in the Vietnam Area and Brunei Area also added a “sweet flavor” to the exhibition. 

CAEXPO to the upgraded sugar industry 

At the 17th CAEXPO in 2020, Nanning Sugar Industry exhibited white granulated sugar, paper molded products, masks, menstrual pads, mulberry wine, mulberry juice, and other products. Liao Yingcan, Party Secretary and Chairman of Guangxi Rural Investment Group Co., LTD., pointed out that more efforts should be made to order and plan a clear direction for developing the Nanning sugar industry. We should not only help farmers to boost the “sweet industry” but also further grow the industry chain in the non-sugar sector, such as expanding adult care products as another direction of product research and development. 

In 2017, as the sugar industry chain keeps expanding, the first China-ASEAN Sugar, Agriculture Machinery & Sugarcane Mechanization Exhibition was held in Nanning, which was designed to accelerate the high-quality transformation and upgrading of the sugar and agricultural machinery industries, and make those industries more competitive, as well as strengthen the all-round cooperation and exchanges between sugar industry, sugar-related industries, and agricultural machinery industries at home and abroad. 

China-ASEAN Sugar, Agriculture Machinery & Sugarcane Mechanization Exhibition, an exhibition under the framework of CAEXPO, includes exhibition areas for agricultural machines, sugarcane machines, and related machines, air compressors for sugar, sugar-related food and supporting services, etc. From white granulated sugar and brown sugar in the daily kitchens to disposable tableware, packaging boxes, and other products extended by the sugar industry chain, China-ASEAN Sugar, Agriculture Machinery & Sugarcane Mechanization Exhibition refused to settle for the “sweet industry” only. Moreover, based on strengthening the comprehensive cooperation and exchanges between the sugar industry, sugar-related industries, and agricultural machinery industries at home and abroad, it consistently tries to build a big trade platform for the sugar-related sectors to promote greater capacity integration of sugar companies and develop industrial competitiveness.

As a prominent producer of sugarcane, Guangxi has generated more than 60% sugar of the national total for ten consecutive years. The sugar industry is of great significance to the economic development of Guangxi. As the venue for the CAEXPO and China-ASEAN Sugar, Agriculture Machinery & Sugarcane Mechanization Exhibition, Guangxi leverages its regional edge and role as an important platform. It works to tap the full potential of industrial attributes of the market and develops with greater momentum in sugar industry cooperation with ASEAN countries. Among them, Guangxi has made remarkable achievements in constructing crucial platforms in the sugar industry.

Guangxi’s Chongzuo City, enjoying the name of “the Sugar Capital of China,” joins hands with Mitr Phol Group of Thailand to build the China (Chongzuo)-Thailand Industrial Park, which is led by the sugar recycling, sugar food, resource-based recycling industry. Its total output value promises to reach more than 300 billion yuan by the end of 2030, and the Industrial Park is committed to building China’s large-scale sugar and food processing industrial base.

In addition, Guangxi Construction and Chia Tai Group worked together to build Chia Tai Group-Guangxi Construction Technology Industrial Park in Rayong Province as a joint venture. The park is China’s first modern industrial park established in Thailand for Chinese investors. Furthermore, guided by the goal of becoming “the world’s leading manufacturer of the sugar production line,” Guangxi Construction has undertaken two sugar plant construction projects in Thailand, with a total contract value of over 2.3 billion yuan.

After years of development, the sugar industry has become the best example of the deep integration of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries in Guangxi. For example, the raw materials of sugarcane are basically “squeezed out.” The deep processing of sugarcane has been further developed, and nearly 20 products, including liquid sugar, concentrated sugarcane juice, sugarcane vinegar beverage, and medicinal sugar, have been industrialized. At the same time, following the idea of “stabilizing the sugar industry, expanding the sugar sector, doing more than sugar and making quality sugar,” sugar by-products of Guangxi’s companies are also gradually transformed into high-value utilization, and Guangxi has become an important production base of high-end green tableware, yeast, and yeast extract in China.

Joint contribution to the “sweet” fruits.

As the global economy develops, the integration of 5G, AI, and cloud computing works to release the industry’s potential and becomes a new momentum for the economy. Advanced technologies are urgently needed to transform and upgrade the sugar industry. The CAEXPO fully plays its role as a platform to connect sugar enterprises and enterprises with advanced technology.

At the Advanced Technology Exhibition of the 18th CAEXPO in 2021, Liu Xuechen, business manager of the fintech business group of China-ASEAN Information Harbor Co., LTD., introduced that China-ASEAN Information Harbor led the construction of three resource trading centers for sugar operation, shipping, and big data, which promotes the industrial transformation and upgrading and the effective resource allocation.

According to Liu Xuechen, there are still areas that need to be improved, including small scale, high cost, unstable price, low added value, and low efficiency in collaboration in the sugar industry. China-ASEAN Information Harbor has built a platform to upgrade the sugar industry chain by integrating with the Internet. Centering on the core processes of production, manufacturing, and sales, China-ASEAN Information Harbor has built three platforms for raw material planting, production system, and product trading that run through the whole industry chain. The entire process of farming, planting, managing, harvesting, and shipping is integrated, managed, and scheduled online. As such, companies can effectively manage production, processing, and sales statistics and make accurate predictions. “This platform ensures the balance between supply and demand and reinforces Guangxi’s core role in the Chinese sugar industry,” Liu Xuechen said.

In addition, the China-ASEAN Advanced Technology Exhibition, one of the permanent thematic exhibitions under the CAEXPO framework, mainly exhibits China’s innovation achievements, products of technologies, and ASEAN’s technology products for China. As the only sugar company invited to the Advanced Technology Exhibition in 2021, East Asia Sugar Group displayed high-quality bottled and packaged refined white sugar, brown sugar, and monocrystal rock sugar. Also, various high-tech products such as efficient and safe blended fertilizers, dietary fiber from sugar by-products, and the soil water-retaining agent developed by China-Thailand technological cooperation were presented at the exhibition. It also means that making technological progress, expanding the industrial chain, increasing the added value of products, and developing a new ecosystem become a must-do for many sugar enterprises to enhance their comprehensive competitiveness.

Making full use of the CAEXPO as a platform for exchange and cooperation, sugar enterprises will continue to consolidate the foundation of China-ASEAN cooperation, pool intellectual resources, and facilitate technical collaboration and the application of sci-tech advances in the sugar industry of China and ASEAN countries, contributing to the transformation and upgrading of the traditional sugar industry. Guangxi’s sugar industry will remain committed to innovative and sustainable development so as to create more opportunities and embrace a better future.