The 7th China-South Asia Expo will be held in Kunming, Yunnan from August 16th to 20th, as announced by Vice Minister of Commerce Li Fei during a press conference. With the theme of "Solidarity and Cooperation for Common Development," the expo is jointly organized by the Ministry of Commerce and the People's Government of Yunnan Province, and is one of the important economic and trade exchange events between China and South Asian countries this year.

Li Fei said that this year marks the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative and the launch of high-quality Belt and Road demonstration projects. Over the past decade, under the strategic guidance from leaders of both sides, China and South Asian countries have achieved fruitful results in economic and trade cooperation.

Firstly, the scale of trade has continuously expanded. The annual trade volume between China and South Asian countries came in at under 100 billion U.S. dollars a decade ago, but the figure neared 200 billion dollars last year, representing an average annual increase of 8.3 percent. China has become the largest trading partner of countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Maldives. South Asian countries have seen increasing exports to China, particularly in products such as aquatic products, tea, and nuts, which are well received by Chinese consumers.

Secondly, connectivity has led to common prosperity. Up to now, China has accumulated nearly 15 billion US dollars of investment in the South Asian region, with a contract turnover of over 200 billion US dollars in engineering projects. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects have made steady progress, while the Hambantota Port and Gwadar Port have promoted industrial upgrading. Cooperation projects, including over 30 road and bridge projects represented by the Padma Bridge in Bangladesh and the expansion and renovation of Pokhara Airport in Nepal and the Nasir Airport in the Maldives, have made tangible contributions to the development and regional connectivity of South Asian countries.

Thirdly, there has been people-to-people connectivity and mutual learning. The people of China and South Asian countries have always helped and learned from each other. Whether facing natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis or global challenges like financial crises and the COVID-19 pandemic, China has consistently stood together with South Asian countries, offering assistance and overcoming challenges together. Projects such as the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge, eight China-Bangladesh Friendship Bridges, and the Sri Lanka National Kidney Hospital have played positive roles in improving local livelihoods. Likewise, when China has faced natural disasters or other emergencies, South Asian countries including India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and the Maldives have promptly extended their helping hands, providing medical and living supplies such as masks, tents, canned food, and other necessities, demonstrating the deep and enduring friendship between the people of South Asia and China.

The South Asia Expo, originally known as the South Asian Countries Commodity Fair, started in 2007 and provided a dedicated platform for promoting South Asian commodities. After 16 years of development, the expo has become a comprehensive platform integrating trade exhibitions, investment promotion, tourism cooperation, and cultural exchanges, building an important bridge for expanding economic and trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between China, South Asian countries, and other nations and regions.

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(Editors: Christine, Amy)