The 15th China-Northeast Asia Expo will be held from August 27 to 31, 2025, in Changchun, the capital of northeast China's Jilin Province, the Ministry of Commerce announced at a press conference on Tuesday.

Highlighting the importance of the expo, which will be held under the theme "Joining Hands in Northeast Asia for a Shared Future Through Openness," Vice Minister of Commerce Yan Dong said that Northeast Asian countries share geographical proximity, cultural bonds and strong commercial ties, with complementary strengths in resources and enormous potential for regional economic cooperation.

Yan noted that practical cooperation between China and other Northeast Asian countries has deepened across various fields, maintaining positive momentum in economic and trade exchanges.

Trade between China and the five Northeast Asian countries reached $901.6 billion in 2024, maintaining a positive growth momentum. The figure was up 1.6 percent year on year and accounted for nearly 15 percent of China's total foreign trade for the year, according to the ministry.

China has long been the largest trading partner for the five countries: Russia, Mongolia, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea and Japan. The Republic of Korea and Japan rank as China's second and third-largest trading partners, respectively.

Yan said two-way investment between China and the five Northeast Asian countries exceeded $7 billion in 2024, with collaboration gradually expanding into emerging sectors such as the digital economy, green development, advanced manufacturing and modern services.

Yang Andi, vice governor of Jilin, said the expo will bring together over 8,000 business representatives from 42 countries and regions globally, as well as 27 provincial-level regions across China. To date, 2,796 exhibition booths have been confirmed, accounting for approximately 80 percent of the exhibition space.

A key highlight of the expo will be the first-ever modern industries pavilion, featuring leading firms, including Fortune 500 companies, Yang added. The pavilion will spotlight the transformation of traditional industries through smart and green upgrades, achievements in new quality productive forces, and the development of collaborative innovation ecosystems.

Li Xingqian, vice chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said the council has actively facilitated the deep integration of industrial and supply chains among Northeast Asian countries. In the first half of this year, the council supported more than 115 exhibition projects in Northeast Asian countries, involving over 4,000 Chinese enterprises.

The expo, jointly organized by the Ministry of Commerce, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, and the Jilin provincial government, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. It remains the world's only comprehensive international expo jointly attended by all six Northeast Asian countries and open to participants from around the globe.

"We aim to use the expo as an opportunity to further build consensus, expand cooperation, and promote common development between China and Northeast Asian countries," Yan said.

(With input from Xinhua)