8වැනි චීන-දකුණු ආසියා ප්‍රදර්ශනය ජූලි 23වැනිදා සිට කුන්මින්හිදී

China-South Asia trade doubles in past decade

Trade volume between China and South Asian countries doubled to nearly 200 billion U.S. dollars between 2013 and 2023, China's Vice Minister of Commerce Li Fei said at a press conference in Beijing on Tuesday.

Since the first China-South Asia Expo was held in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, 11 years ago, China and South Asian countries have deepened practical cooperation in different fields, and maintained sound momentum in the development of economic and trade exchanges, delivering benefits to the people of both sides, Li said.

China's role as the largest trading partner for Pakistan, Bangladesh and other South Asian countries has grown, with more and more goods from the region entering China and winning over Chinese consumers, the vice minister noted.

He highlighted the benefits for local employment and economic development of cooperation projects such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the Karakoram Highway, and announced that the eighth China-South Asia Expo will be held from July 23 to 28 in Kunming.

The event, jointly hosted by the Ministry of Commerce and the Yunnan provincial government, will be one of the most important events for economic and trade exchanges between China and South Asian nations this year, he said.

"The China-South Asia Expo has become an important platform for China and South Asian countries to carry out economic and trade cooperation and cultural exchanges. Thanks to concerted efforts of various parties, the eighth China-South Asia Expo is now basically ready," Li said.

So far, nearly 2,000 enterprises have signed up for the expo, nearly half of them overseas exhibitors from South Asia and Southeast Asia, according to Yang Mu, head of the Department of Commerce of Yunnan Province.

This year's expo will have two South Asia pavilions and a special exhibition area for the theme country Pakistan, Yang said, adding that organizers have also invited over 2,300 traders to broker business deals at the exhibition.

"For the first time, this year's expo will feature a pavilion for the coffee industry, attracting more than 150 exhibitors. Different coffee producing areas in Yunnan will be showcased in the pavilion, as well as characteristic coffee products from domestic enterprises and South Asian and Southeast Asian countries. The pavilion will also hold coffee brewing and serving competitions," Yang said.

Since its inception, the China-South Asia Expo has welcomed more than 18,000 domestic and foreign companies, attracted over 4 million visitors, and promoted foreign trade transactions worth more than 100 billion U.S. dollars.

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