The five-day 3rd China-South Asia Expo (CSA) kicked off in Kunming Friday with a view to step up greater regional cooperation with a coordinated effort by China and South Asian countries, including Bangladesh.
"We will be working together deeply and sincerely to promote the culture and objectives of the One Belt, One Road [OBOR] strategy, which will also ensure a win-win situation for the countries on either sides of the Himalayas," Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao said at the inaugural ceremony.
Referring to the $40 billion outlay for the OBOR, he said this investment initiative would help bring China and other nations in this region closer for better cooperation.
"We believe a good neighbour is better than a distant relative," the vice president said.
The colourful ceremony was held at the Dianchi International Convention and Exhibition Centre, overlooking the tall reeds in the Wujiatang Wetland Park of the Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan province.
The function hall was packed with invited people from different provinces of China and the countries from and beyond South Asia. There were policymakers, entrepreneurs, business leaders and experts in regional connectivity and trade.
Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury attended the inaugural ceremony and also addressed the function.
In her speech, the speaker highlighted the country's latest progress in the economy and in major social sectors, which have created a very favourable environment for trade, business and investment.
Referring to the constant 6% growth in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the past few years, the speaker said the persistent economic growth helped Bangladesh reduce poverty rapidly in the recent years.
"Poverty in this region would also go down significantly if the countries in this region can achieve steady growth with strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation," she said.
Citing that Bangladesh and China has a long history of bilateral relationship, she said this relationship would also be instrumental to boost cooperation between China and South Asian nations.
The speaker also visited different pavilions, stalls and booths of the Expo including the Bangladesh pavilion where 28 companies are participating to showcase the country's heritage, entrepreneurships, and trade and investment opportunities.
Vice-President Li Yuanchao and President of Yunnan Chen Hao addressed the inaugural function, among other leaders from the host country and South Asia.
India is the country of honour of this year's expo, and Thailand is the guest of honour of the Import and Export Fair.
This year the event aims to enhance the comprehensive China-South Asia cooperation and development, boost the construction of the OBOR, a development strategy and framework of China that focuses on connectivity and cooperation among countries through the land-based "Silk Road Economic Belt" (SREB) and oceangoing "Maritime Silk Road" (MSR).
Around 75 countries or regions in the world have confirmed to participate in the 3rd China-South Asia Expo, according to the latest information of the Yunnan International Expo Bureau.
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal are participating from the South Asia region.
A total of 13 exhibition pavilions have been set up at Kunming Expo venue, which is a newly-built building mainly designed for holding China-South Asia expo. There are 6,150 booths this year, double than that of last year. Some 500 companies will exhibit their products in the expo.
Some important conferences like Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar Business Council Work Conference, Bangladesh Human Resources Cooperation Meeting, and Female Entrepreneur Roundtable Meeting have been organised during the Expo.
Business delegations from Bangladesh, representing different chambers, are participating in the Expo and the side events.
Besides the major events of the Expo, there are some attractive displays, including a lunar exploration programme, an unmanned aerial vehicle and some small innovation-oriented enterprises referring to technology, agriculture, or ethnic culture to be exhibited.
Introduced in 2013, the CSA Expo is a flagship annual event of the Yunnan province. The first Expo attracted 467 foreign leaders and guests, 35 delegations from various countries, over 600 professional buyers from State-owned enterprises, private corporations and financial institutions, investors and nearly 50,000 visitors in professional fields.
There were at least 1,200 foreign exhibitors who made business deals worth $17.466 billion.
The 2nd CSA Expo was held with the theme "expanding trade in services, boosting investment-centered cooperation, accelerating inter-connectivity, and jointly constructing economic corridors."
