The Third Western China International Exposition, a major economic event in the region, opened Saturday in this capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Sichuan Province, alone, provided Chinese and overseas investors with 383 projects involving a total investment of 8 billion U.S. dollars.

World Bank President James Wolfensohn said the World Bank is fully confident in the development of western China. It has invested 8 billion U.S. dollars in the region.

Overseas investors have shown strong interest in the expo. Representatives from global Big-names including Morgan Stanley andNasdaq will gave lectures on seminars hosted by the expo. Also on hand were over 7,000 businessmen, bankers and government officialsfrom 30 countries and regions.

More than 6,000 domestic entrepreneurs from most major Chinese provinces have come to the three-day expo. Guangdong Province senta 300-strong purchasing delegation.