On 27 April 2026, Consul General Mr. Ahmad Phadil Ismail participated in the Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) for the 23rd China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO), at the Howard Johnson CAEXPO Plaza Nanning.
The meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Li An, Deputy Director-General of Department of Asian Affairs of Ministry of Commerce, China and the 2026 Country of Honour representative Madam Ma. Lourdes D. Mediran, Deputy Executive Director, Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions, Department of Trade and Industry of the Philippines. The discussions focused on the preparations for the 23rd CAEXPO that is scheduled for 17 to 21 September 2026.
During the meeting, the Consul General highlighted Malaysia’s active presence and outstanding performance in the 22nd CAEXPO, where Malaysia took home several prestigious awards, namely Special Supporter for AI Cooperation, Best Organiser of Trade Visitors, and Best Organiser of Business Promotional Matching Activities.
Given the vital role of the CAEXPO in supporting over 2,400 Malaysian companies over the past two decades, he reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to encouraging broader participation from across its industries, in particular in future-forward sectors such as the digital economy, artificial intelligence, green energy, and smart manufacturing.
He also took the opportunity to call for improvements in some operational matters, including booth placement and fire safety compliance and the coordination of communication for multiple concurrent events.
The programme also included a courtesy meeting with H.E. Lu Xinning, Vice Governor of Guangxi People’s Government, followed by lunch hosted by the Vice Governor.
Also in attendance were Mr. Pang Wei Han, Deputy Trade Consul of Malaysia in Guangzhou, diplomats and senior officials from ASEAN countries, including Timor-Leste, which made its debut at the meeting.