KUNMING, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Having grown from a niche commodity fair into a major international event, the China-South Asia Expo (CSAE) has, over ten editions, achieved remarkable success in boosting trade, attracting investment, and strengthening people-to-people ties between China and South Asian nations.
The 10th CSAE, which kicked off in southwest China's Yunnan Province on Thursday, has expanded in scale, upgraded in quality, and extended its reach. Over 560 companies from South Asian countries are taking part in the event. Over 1,500 professional buyers have registered, with overseas buyers, including those from 45 countries such as Germany, Brazil and Egypt.
The six-day event places a strong emphasis on deepening cooperation with South Asia, injecting fresh momentum into bilateral relations. It has set up two South Asia pavilions with more than 7,000 square meters, covering all eight South Asian countries. Bangladesh, the "theme country" of this year's expo, has an exclusive exhibition area of 360 square meters.
"We aim to learn manufacturing technologies from neighboring countries," said Nasim Rana, a first-time Bangladeshi exhibitor who showcased fabric samples and handcrafted products. His team seeks B2B partnerships and retail exposure, emphasizing China's potential for handmade goods.
Salsabil Alaika, a Bangladeshi artisan, attended the expo to study Chinese brand promotion strategies. "China's business environment inspires us to grow," she noted, highlighting the strong Bangladesh-China educational and economic ties. She also expressed hope to leverage these ties to further promote her traditional crafts.
The expo features 13 pavilions, covering sectors ranging from green energy, service trade and manufacturing to the coffee industry. For the first time, a procurement matchmaking center has been set up, alongside supply-demand matchmaking events, new product launches, as well as a seminar between Chinese and South Asian governments, industries, universities and research institutes.
Having been successfully held nine times, the China-South Asia Expo has facilitated over 3,000 project signings and foreign trade worth more than 100 billion U.S. dollars.
BORN FOR SHARED NEEDS
South Asia is a dynamic economic region full of potential and cooperation opportunities. The combined market of China and South Asian countries covers 3 billion people, with total GDP accounting for one fifth of the global total.
China and South Asian countries share adjacent mountains and rivers, with a millennia-long history of trade exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations. Yunnan, leveraging its unique geographical advantage, has acted as China's key passage to South and Southeast Asia since ancient times.
In 2007, the "South Asian countries commodity exhibition" was launched in the provincial capital of Kunming, opening a window for South Asian specialty goods to enter the Chinese market. To adapt to the trend of economic globalization and regional integration and expand exchanges, the event was upgraded to the CSAE in 2012.
"Most enterprises in South Asian countries hope to cooperate with Chinese partners to access the huge Chinese market, and the CSAE has given us a platform to showcase our products and seize these opportunities," said Charej, a Sri Lankan tea merchant who has participated in multiple editions of the expo, whose black tea booth always drew crowds of consumers and business partners every year.
The CSAE serves as an important platform for South-South trade cooperation, and it will create valuable opportunities for Sri Lanka and other countries in the region to fully tap the potential of each other's markets, said Charita Yattogoda, head of the trade promotion division of Sri Lanka's Department of Commerce.
"This year, more than 100 Sri Lankan companies representing different sectors are participating in the expo," said Yattogoda. He added that some of the companies are leaders in Sri Lanka's most recognized business sectors, including jewelry, organic agriculture, tea, and garment products.
"The CSAE was established to actively respond to the concerns of South Asian countries to expand exports to China, and demonstrate China's efforts and sincerity to increase imports and improve trade imbalance," said Wang Liping, director general of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Commerce.
NEW PROSPECTS FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT
In recent years, guided by high-level diplomatic exchanges and boosted by the Belt and Road Initiative, China's economic and trade cooperation with South Asia has yielded remarkable achievements, said Chen Lijun, vice president of Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences.
Bilateral and multilateral ties have kept advancing, trade volume has expanded, investment cooperation has deepened, and people-to-people exchanges have grown frequent, Chen said, adding that these efforts have effectively helped South Asian countries upgrade their infrastructure, boost economic growth and improve people's livelihoods.
Data reflects the leapfrog development: the trade volume between China and South Asian countries exceeded 200 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, up 10.7 percent year on year, doubling the total in 2013. China has now become the largest trading partner of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
Investment and infrastructure cooperation has also been deepened. According to Yan Dong, vice commerce minister, an increasing number of Chinese enterprises have recognized the investment value of South Asia, carrying out cooperation in ports, industrial parks, power and other fields in line with local conditions, making positive contributions to local tax revenue, employment and export growth.
Each edition of the CSAE provides a large number of free booths for South Asian countries to help promote their characteristic and high-quality products.
"Running the CSAE well is a key strategic move to serve the country's neighboring diplomacy and deepen regional cooperation," said Liu Yong, vice governor of Yunnan. Enditem
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