THE China-South Asia Exposition has emerged as a crucial catalyst for strengthening economic and trade activities between the world’s second-largest economy and South Asian countries, and facilitating mutually beneficial partnerships driven by each other’s strengths and resources, senior officials said Tuesday.

The 8th China-South Asia Expo will be held from July 23 to 28 in Kunming, capital of Southwest China’s Yunnan Province. It will be one of the most important events for economic and trade exchanges between China and South Asian nations this year, said vice commerce minister Li Fei at a press conference in Beijing.

The expo was first held in Kunming in 2013, the year when China put forward the Belt and Road Initiative. Li said that over the past 11 years, China and South Asian countries have deepened cooperation in various fields.

The expo will feature industries with great potential for cooperation with South Asian countries, including green energy, modern agriculture, medical care as well as culture and tourism, said Liu Yong, vice governor of Yunnan Province.

"Representatives from 81 countries, regions and international organizations have confirmed participation," Liu said.

Nearly 2,000 companies have registered as exhibitors, of which nearly half are from overseas, according to Yang Mu, head of the Department of Commerce of Yunnan Province.

An additional South Asia pavilion will be set up at this year’s expo, Yang said, adding that organizers have also invited over 2,300 buyers to facilitate business deals. This year’s expo also features a pavilion for the coffee industry.

Chinese official data shows that trade volume between China and South Asian countries reached nearly US$200 billion in 2023, twice the amount in 2013.

During the seventh edition of the expo held last year, agreements were signed for 338 projects with a total investment of US$56.1 billion.

The expo has also facilitated trade in goods and served as a platform for South Asian products to access the Chinese market.

“The expo enables more and more South Asian specialty products such as Sri Lankan black tea and Nepalese carpets to enter the Chinese market,” Li said.

Since 2013, the expo has served more than 18,000 domestic and foreign companies, facilitated trade of more than US$100 billion, and the launching of over 3,000 projects, Li said.

According to Liu, Yunnan has continued to pursue opening up. He added that in recent years, the province has strengthened its role in driving China's cooperation with South Asia and Southeast Asia.

“We helped with the construction of the China-Laos-Thailand and the China-Myanmar transport facilities, promoted cross-border multimodal transport and strengthened economic and trade exchanges with South Asian and Southeast Asian countries,” Liu said.

The official added that the Kunming Changshui International Airport in Yunnan has 26 flight routes to South Asia and Southeast Asia, with its international cargo routes connecting nations including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand.

The province has carried out the “Bright Journey” program in Sri Lanka for two consecutive years, helping 218 cataract patients regain their sight. Events like boat racing were organized in Nepal and table tennis training programs were conducted in the Maldives, fostering exchanges through sports, according to Liu.

He said Yunnan will continue to deepen cooperation with neighboring countries in education, culture, tourism, science and technology, health and other fields, building a bridge for people-to-people exchanges.

(Xinhua)