KUNMING -- The 9th China-South Asia Expo opened on Thursday in Kunming, capital of Southwest China's Yunnan province, drawing representatives from 73 countries, regions and international organizations, as well as more than 2,500 enterprises.

The six-day event has brought together all South and Southeast Asian nations, featuring 16 exhibition halls, nearly 70 percent of which are dedicated to professional sectors such as manufacturing, green energy, the coffee industry, and traditional Chinese medicine.

Two South Asia-themed pavilions with nearly 800 booths have been set up, with India and Pakistan each hosting 140 booths.

Nearly 40 economic and trade events are scheduled during the expo, including forums and procurement matchmaking meetings aimed at deepening regional cooperation.

The expo was first held in Kunming in 2013, the same year China put forward the Belt and Road Initiative. It has since facilitated over $110 billion in foreign trade transactions and served more than 20,000 enterprises.

Jointly organized by the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) and the Yunnan provincial government, the expo serves as a key platform to strengthen economic and trade links between China and South Asian nations.

In 2024, trade between China and South Asian countries neared $200 billion, doubling over the past decade with an average annual growth rate of 6.3 percent, according to MOC data.

China remains committed to high-level opening up and is advancing Chinese modernization through high-quality development, a process that will create valuable opportunities for cooperation with countries around the world, including those in South Asia, vice-minister of commerce Yan Dong said at the opening ceremony.

Yan also expressed China's readiness to deepen trade and investment ties, expand cooperation in emerging sectors such as the digital economy, low-carbon development, artificial intelligence and biomedicine, and jointly promote an open world economy.