Underground river in Bama village in Guangxi is a hidden treasure for local residents.[Photo provided to China Daily]

By the end of 2014, nearly 570 local enterprises had gone global and most of them invested in ASEAN, covering a broad range of major industries including agriculture, mining, chemicals and communication equipment.

Guangxi International Construction Engineering Co, for instance, set up branches in Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and East Timor.

In 2014, the company signed overseas contracts worth $130 million.

During the first 10 months of 2015, Guangxi invested $161 million in ASEAN countries, 10 times more than in the same period in 2014.

The region launched a project in November 2014 to simplify the procedures for customs clearance to facilitate cross-border trade.

Through its participation in the Belt and Road Initiative, Guangxi has witnessed sustainable growth in foreign trade and overseas investment in recent years.

Its total imports and exports trade volume rose from $23.33 billion in 2011 to $49 billion in 2015, of which trade with ASEAN rose from $9.56 billion to $27.7 billion.

From January to October last year, Guangxi's foreign trade hit 221.1 billion yuan, of which 110.7 billion yuan was with ASEAN.

From 2011 to 2014, investment from Guangxi companies in foreign countries rose at an annual rate of 62 percent, increasing from $400 million to $2.12 billion.

During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, Guangxi enhanced communications between young people in the region and those in ASEAN through cultural exchanges.

Last year, the first China-ASEAN Expo Tourism Exhibition was held in Guilin, attracting some 800 global enterprises, 300 foreign professional buyers and nearly 150,000 participants.