The 2018 Xiamen Industry Expo opens at the Xiamen International Convention and Exhibition Center on April 12, to span four days. [Photo/chinanews.com]

The 2018 Xiamen Industry Expo (XMIE) was inaugurated at the Xiamen International Convention and Exhibition Center on April 12, marking the beginning of the 22nd Cross-Straits Machinery and Electronics Exhibition, according to Xiamen Daily.

The expo is focused on intelligent manufacturing and showcases the progress of industrial cooperation between cross-Straits enterprises and the latest development trends of cross-Straits intelligent manufacturing industries.

Covering an area of 85,000 square meters, this year's XMIE attracted more than 800 enterprises from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

Six specialized exhibition areas at the expo were set up for over 3,500 booths for various products and services, including machine tools, intelligent manufacturing, those of the rubber industry, printing equipment, heavy-duty machinery and modular products.

The expo also established an exhibition area for transportation and logistics equipment for the first time to show intelligent transportation systems, smart parking systems, new energy vehicles, and traffic engineering materials.

A series of forums are expected to be organized during the four-day event to discuss cross-Straits economic cooperation in trade and industries. Renowned scholars and entrepreneurs from both the Chinese mainland and Taiwan will offer their ideas about cross-Straits cooperation and development.