Asian commodity expo opens in China's Yunnan Province
CGTN
[]

The South and Southeast Asia Commodity Expo and Investment Fair (SSACEIF) opened Wednesday in southwest China's Yunnan Province, attracting 3,348 enterprises from home and abroad.

The expo in Kunming, capital of Yunnan, China's major gateway to Southeast Asia and South Asia, has highlighted China's closer ties with the region as it pushes for the Belt and Road Initiative.

With six major exhibition areas, 17 pavilions and 7,500 standard booths, the exposition features exhibitors from 74 countries, regions and international organizations, nearly half of which are overseas companies.

The expo mainly displays jewelry, carpets and spices from South Asian countries, as well as beverages, snacks and fruits from Southeast Asia, according to the Executive Committee of the SSACEIF.

Booth attendants perform to promote Xishuangbanna at the South and Southeast Asia Commodity Expo and Investment Fair, June 12, 2019. /Xinhua Photo

Booth attendants perform to promote Xishuangbanna at the South and Southeast Asia Commodity Expo and Investment Fair, June 12, 2019. /Xinhua Photo

According to Kunming customs, Yunnan's trade with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) increased by 13.1 percent year on year to reach 44.2 billion yuan (6.4 billion U.S. dollars) in the first five months of this year. Its trade with South Asian nations surged by 75.4 percent to total 1.5 billion yuan in the same period.

Sri Lanka is the theme country of this year's SSACEIF, and the main guest country is Cambodia. Contracts to be inked during the SSACEIF are estimated to a total of over 600 billion yuan (about 86.7 billion U.S. dollars).

The 2nd China-South Asia Cooperation Forum, the 14th China-South Asia Business Forum and the 7th China-South Asia Southeast Asia Think Tank Forum will also be held during the seven-day event.

Center set up for promoting trade with South, Southeast Asia during the expo

As an extension of the SSACEIF, a commodity exhibition and trade center also opened Wednesday in Kunming, in an effort to boost trade between China, South and Southeast Asian countries.

The center, located in Kunming Dianchi International Convention and Exhibition Center, is used for regularly displaying and selling specialties from countries in the region and includes a section for booths displaying the national images of 18 countries in the region.

So far, a total of 16 countries and over 20 chambers of commerce and brands have set up booths in the center.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency