By Li Yanjie (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2007-09-03 16:52

The Third Northeast Asia Investment and Trade Expo opened Sunday at the Changchun International Conference and Exhibition Center in Changchun, Jilin Province.

The exposition is co-sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce, the Office of the Leading Group of the State Council for Revitalizing the Old Industrial Bases in Northeast and Other Areas of China, and the Jilin provincial government.

The annual event aims to attract both domestic and foreign investment and build a long-lasting cooperative platform between China and Northeast Asian countries.

Since 2005, the expo has played a key role in revitalizing old industrial bases. The Third Expo will focus on commodity trade, investment and cooperation, professional international conferences and business activities.

The expo, with 2,200 booths, will last four and half days and is expected to attract 50,000 business people from North China, Russia's far-eastern region, Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Mongolia. .

In addition, 70 high-ranking officials from both home and abroad and 81 Fortune Global 500 companies attended the event, according to Wang Fuyi, deputy director of the expo and deputy secretary general of Jilin provincial government.

Sunday's opening was marked by a High-level Northeast Asia Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum. attended by top economic and commercial officials of six Northeast Asian countries.

The third Northeast Asia Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum, was also held on Sunday, covering three topics: the development of goods and services trade in the logistics industry; financial cooperation and investment development; and legal service and intellectual property protection, according to the organizing committee.

The host province also plans to showcase its investment environment and cooperative projects at the expo. A string of promoting conferences, investment talks and press conferences will be presented.

There is a cultural element to the event. A series of artistic performances will be staged during the expo, creating a festive atmosphere.