Despite the effects of the lingering COVID-19 pandemic, the China-South Asia Expo has made progress toward its goal of promoting trade and investment cooperation between China and Southeast Asia.

Some 170 investment projects worth over 40 billion yuan, or $5.6 billion, have been signed at the sixth China-South Asia Exposition underway in Kunming, provincial capital of southwest China's Yunnan.

The expo, held both physically and virtually, comes following the recent conclusion of high-level meetings in the region, from the ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh to the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Bangkok. Laos is the country of honor this year.

In his congratulatory letter to the event, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China is willing to take the expo as a platform to foster new growth areas of cooperation, promote high-quality development under the Belt and Road Initiative, and help implement the Global Development Initiative.

13 pavilions are showcasing a wide range of products and services from both home and abroad, covering green energy, modern agriculture, advanced manufacturing, biomedicine and tourism, among some other sectors.

One of the exhibitors shows how its plasma-derived medicinal products are manufactured in a smart way.

"Our products can be exported to South and Southeast Asia while satisfying domestic demand. Since there are no plants for plasma-derived products in most countries of the region, we could also establish plants there in accordance with laws and regulations of both sides," said Jiang Yanfang, General Manager of the Sinopharm Kunming Plasma-Derived Biotherapies Company.

"There are bright prospects for future cooperation," she added.

A series of forums on the sidelines of the expo also discussed prospects for further bilateral cooperation. One of the gatherings focuses on the recovery of the aviation industry.

Tuo Wei, Market Department Manager of the Yunnan Aviation Industry Investment Group Company, told CGTN that in the past three years, the overall flight market has been gloomy, but the international freight market has grown. Many goods exported to countries like Myanmar and Laos have been delivered from Yunnan, China's gateway to South and Southeast Asia.

"As the pandemic subsides, I believe the cross-border tourism will also gradually recover and prosper," Tuo said.

China is the largest trading partner of ASEAN, and the trade volume with South Asia has kept growing.

Speaking at a forum in the expo, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao noted that China's trade with South Asia rose to over $187 billion in 2021, some $50 billion more than in 2019 before the COVID-19 outbreak.

"This year marks the 31 anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations. Over the past years, we have witnessed a number of remarkable achievements. I do believe that our cooperation on trade and investment will be further strengthened," said Manila Sombandith, Consul General of Laos in Kunming, while addressing a forum.

Scholars are also optimistic that more cooperation potentials will be unleashed.

"I think we will work together in the field of science, education, technology, and in the field of agriculture, and practically implement the research findings in these areas, and we will boost our economies and other sustainable development in the region for our shared future," said Arshad Muhammad, a scholar from Pakistan.