Senior regional official hails event's potential to facilitate investment and trade cooperation between China and foreign countries

The fifth China-Eurasia Expo will provide an efficient communication platform for economic, trade and investment cooperation between China and other countries, according to a senior official from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Shohrat Zakir, chairman and deputy Party chief of the region, made the remarks at the 17th Lanting Forum, which focused on the expo and was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 3.

Dancers celebrate the opening of a previous China-Eurasia Expo in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region's capital city of Urumqi. Zhao Ge / Xinhua

Models in traditional Xinjiang costume stage a show at a previous China-Eurasia Expo in Urumqi. Ban Xia / For China Daily

Businesspeople conduct trade negotiations at a previous session of the China-Eurasia Expo. Provided to China Daily

The expo, which will take place from Sept 20 to 25 in Xinjiang's capital city of Urumqi, has been held in the city four times before. It will offer 14 exhibition areas for investment cooperation and commodity trade and organize 10 ministerial-level forums as well as four themed activities, Shohrat said.

The event provides an exhibition area of 140,000 square meters and will showcase products from China and other countries in Asia and Europe and promote their investment policies and tourism environments.

Exhibits at the expo will include clothes, agricultural products and food, jewelry and jade, mechanical equipment, advanced home appliances, medical treatment facilities and auto-related products and services.

The China-Eurasia Economic Development and Cooperation Forum will invite high-ranking officials and representatives from international organizations to discuss current Eurasian and global issues. Other events at the expo include a Belt and Road Energy, Science and Technology Forum and a Eurasia Industrial Cooperation Forum.

The fifth expo is being organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Commerce, the Xinjiang government and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

Wang Yi, China's foreign minister, said at the Lanting Forum that the fifth expo will help raise awareness of the link between the conception and construction of the Belt and Road Initiative and the event itself, which offers a new and important platform allowing Asian and European countries to work collaboratively on the initiative. The Belt and Road Initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road launched by President Xi Jinping in 2013.

"The Belt and Road Initiative has brought the expo new opportunities," Shohrat said. "The event aims to be a key platform for facilitating the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt."

He said the central government has supported Xinjiang in its bid to both expand and accelerate its opening-up process and build the Silk Road Economic Belt hub because of the autonomous region's geographical and cultural advantages, as well as its undoubted development potential.

The ancient Silk Road, which facilitated trade and cultural exchanges between China and Central Asian and European countries, extended nearly 10,000 kilometers, and more than 5,000 km passed through Xinjiang. The autonomous region, an important area along the Silk Road Economic Belt, is certain to become a bridge that will link the Asia-Pacific and European economic circles, Shohrat said.

The ancient Silk Road promoted the integration of Western and Eastern cultures and also made Xinjiang a historical melting pot of diverse cultures.

Xinjiang has promoted economic and social development and an improved standard of living for residents in recent years. The region's average annual GDP growth rate has topped 10 percent over the past five years and demonstrates its huge development potential, Shohrat said.

Xinjiang has drawn up a range of policy documents to promote its construction as a hub for the Silk Road Economic Belt. It has also specified the region's development orientation, main goals, and key measures and projects in the broader picture of China's opening-up to the West.

The region is making efforts to build itself into a regional transport hub of the Silk Road Economic Belt and improve its logistics, financial, cultural, education and health services.

The China-Eurasia Expo is becoming an important platform for the construction of the Belt and Road routes as its brand influence and internationalization increase, the event's organizers said.

Previous expos have welcomed nearly 30 domestic and foreign leaders and representatives from international organizations as well as more than 800 ministerial-level officials. The events have also attracted around 100,000 businesspeople from more than 60 countries and regions and nearly 1.3 million visitors.

The expo has helped participating countries share development opportunities and reap mutual benefits and promoted cooperation between Xinjiang and other regions in China as well as neighboring countries, according to the organizers.

They added that both domestic and foreign media reports about the expos have increased awareness and understanding of the event and helped showcase Xinjiang as an open, thriving and harmonious area.

The expo, supported by the central government, is an important channel for Xinjiang and other Eurasian countries and regions to cooperate in a range of areas, including economic development, trade, investment, culture, science and technology, culture and finance.

Premier Li Keqiang and former premier Wen Jiabao are among the notable figures that have attended previous expos. Organizers have arranged a diverse range of activities at past expos involving fields such as agriculture, textiles, finance, food, media and communications.

In addition, international organizations and overseas trade and industry departments have held more than 100 activities related to investment and trade, and tourism promotion.

Contact the writers through songmengxing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 08/26/2016 page20)