Lanzhou Fair gathers global businesses to deepen Belt and Road cooperation

The 32nd China Lanzhou Investment and Trade Fair opened in Lanzhou, Gansu province, on Thursday, with Pakistan and South Korea serving as this year's guest countries of honor. They highlight Gansu's efforts to deepen international exchanges and regional cooperation.

Themed "New Opportunities for Practical Cooperation, New Landscape for Open Development", the five-day fair attracted participants from 30 countries and international organizations, together with 18 Chinese provincial-level regions and Taiwan.

The 54,000-square-meter main exhibition features dedicated sections showing Silk Road international cooperation, regional collaboration and Gansu's competitive industries. More than 1,900 exhibitors are showcasing products spanning nearly 40 sectors, including new energy, artificial intelligence, aerospace, modern agriculture, cultural tourism and consumer goods.

The fair comes as Gansu continues to expand its economic ties with overseas markets. Trade with other members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) reached 9.86 billion yuan ($1.45 billion) in the first five months of this year, up 22.2 percent year-on-year. During the same period, the province's agricultural exports rose 7.4 percent to 1.49 billion yuan, with products under the provincial "Ganwei" agricultural brand reaching an increasingly diverse range of markets across Southeast Asia, Central Asia and Europe, according to Lanzhou Customs.

"The Lanzhou Investment and Trade Fair is a vibrant platform that brings together enterprises from China and around the world to showcase their products, explore business opportunities and deepen mutually beneficial trade and investment cooperation," said Khalil Hashmi, Pakistan's ambassador to China. "I am impressed by both the organization and the diversity of participants."

China and Pakistan are strongly complementary, and many win-win opportunities exist for cooperation in agriculture, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing and technical training, Hashmi said, adding that Pakistan will continue to encourage businesses from both sides to strengthen trade, investment and industrial cooperation.

First launched in 1993, the Lanzhou Fair has evolved into one of western China's leading platforms for international economic and trade cooperation. It plays a key role in promoting Gansu's opening-up and participation in the Belt and Road Initiative.

"Because of its location, Gansu enjoys an important position in China's strategy of westward opening-up and connectivity," Hashmi said. "Combined with Pakistan's role as a gateway to the Middle East and Africa, the two sides have strong strategic complementarities that can further boost Belt and Road cooperation."

Twenty-six forums, business matchmaking events and investment promotion activities will be held during the fair.

A supporting event, the fourth "Hi-Go" E-commerce Festival, also opened on Thursday, highlighting Gansu's digital commerce development and promoting local specialty products through livestreaming and cross-border e-commerce.

Wu Yuexuan contributed to this story.