The third China-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Exposition and the third China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit will be held from October 19 to 22, 2006 in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, according to sources with the Ministry of Commerce.

The exposition will provide 2,500 indoor booths and 500 outdoor booths, with an expo area of 80,000 square meters, the ministry said. The expo will be divided into three special parts, namely a trade zone, an investment and technological cooperation zone and a tourism zone.

The trade zone will display China's machinery equipment, electronic products, construction materials, furniture, farm products as well as ASEAN countries' petroleum and chemical products, rubber products, handicrafts and farm products.

The second China-ASEAN Exposition was held in Nanning in October 2005. Statistics from the organizing committee show that more than 25,000 purchasers attended the event, with 126 international cooperation projects signed, involving US$5.29 billion of investment, an increase of 5.9 percent over the last one.

(Xinhua News Agency December 20, 2005)