The Global Mayors Dialogue in Nanning aims to bring cities across China and ASEAN even closer together, going beyond traditional sister city status.

Official data shows that the total trade value between China and ASEAN in 2024 was over $980 billion, accounting for 15.9 percent of China's total international trade. The two sides have been each other's largest trading partners for five consecutive years, and China has been ASEAN's largest trading partner for fifteen consecutive years.