10th China-South Asia Exposition in June to boost business ties

BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The 10th China-South Asia Exposition, scheduled to be held from June 11 to 16 in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, will bring about new business opportunities through mutually beneficial cooperation, according to Chinese officials.

To date, exhibitors from more than 60 countries and regions as well as international organizations have signed up for the event, covering South Asia, Southeast Asia and member states of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, Li Chaowei, director of the Yunnan provincial department of commerce, said at a press conference held on Friday by the Information Office of the State Council.

As the theme country of this year's expo, Bangladesh will hold activities such as "Bangladesh Day." Laos, meanwhile, as a specially invited partner country, will host a series of activities to promote China-Laos economic and trade cooperation, Li said.

The event has also drawn interest from countries outside the region. Li said that the embassies and consulates of seven countries, including Italy, Uruguay and Australia, will make their debuts as national exhibition groups at the 2026 edition of the expo.

Yan Dong, vice commerce minister, said at the press conference that in recent years, China and South Asian countries have upheld the spirit of openness, cooperation and inclusiveness as their economic and trade ties continued to strengthen, benefiting their people. Trade between China and South Asian countries exceeded the 200-billion-U.S. dollar mark in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 10.7 percent. In the first four months of 2026, China's trade with South Asia grew by 15.8 percent.

Amid surging trade, an increasing number of Chinese-funded enterprises are cooperating with South Asian countries in areas such as ports, industrial parks and electric power, Yan said, adding that the expo, as an important event focused on South Asia, will help countries in the region promote their distinctive and high-quality products.

"China will further enhance the level of trade liberalization and facilitation, deepen industrial and supply chain cooperation with South Asian countries, and explore cooperation potential in emerging fields like cross-border e-commerce, green development, environmental protection, digital economy and biomedicine," Yan noted.

According to Wang Liping, director general of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Commerce, China and South Asian countries represent a huge market of three billion people, with a combined GDP accounting for 20 percent of the global total. "The expo provides a platform to unleash the great potential for cooperation between China and South Asia." Enditem