The upcoming eighth China-South Asia Expo is set to boost trade cooperation and foster people-to-people exchanges between China and South Asian and Southeast Asian countries, organizers announced on Tuesday.
This key economic and trade event will run for a week starting July 23 in Kunming City, the provincial capital of Yunnan Province in southwest China.
Pakistan has been designated as the event's country of honor.
Over 2,000 enterprises have registered for the expo, including participants from all South Asian and Southeast Asian nations, according to Yang Mu, head of Yunnan's department of commerce.
The expo will feature 15 pavilions, with two exclusively dedicated to South Asian countries, encompassing approximately 800 booths. Additional pavilions will highlight architectural technology, green energy, culture and tourism, and modern agriculture, among other sectors.
For the first time, a special pavilion for coffee products will be introduced. Yunnan, renowned for its high-quality arabica coffee, accounts for 95 percent of China's coffee production. Coffee companies from China and around the globe are expected to showcase their products and engage in discussions on coffee cultivation, processing, and roasting during the event.
China-South Asian 2023 Trade Volume Nears $200 Billion
China and South Asian countries continue to maintain robust trade relationships. According to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, the trade volume in 2023 approached $200 billion, doubling the figure from 2013.
China's status as the largest trading partner for nations like Pakistan and Bangladesh has been consistently strengthened. Products such as rice from Pakistan, red tea from Sri Lanka, seafood from the Maldives, and pine nuts from Afghanistan are increasingly entering the Chinese market.
Yunnan is regarded as China's gateway to South Asian and Southeast Asian countries. Liu Yong, Vice Governor of Yunnan, emphasized the province's commitment to leveraging the expo to align the Belt and Road Initiative with the development strategies of South Asian countries, aiming to expand cooperation in modern industries, the digital economy, green energy, culture, education, tourism, and agriculture.
On July 22, a supporting event will gather officials, heads of business associations, scholars, and business executives from South Asian countries to engage in in-depth discussions on topics such as investment and trade cooperation, technological innovation, the digital economy, energy development and utilization, and infrastructure construction.
Reference(s):
8th China-South Asia Expo expected to promote regional trade
cgtn.com
