By Zheng Yiran Updated: 2017-05-24
The 2017 (China) Eurasia Commodity and Trade Expo will be held this August in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, attracting domestic and foreign leaders, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs from home and abroad.
The China Eurasia Expo serves as an important platform for China to establish diplomatic relations with neighboring countries, as well as a platform to build the Silk Road Economic Belt. It promotes communication and cooperation between the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and its surrounding countries.
From 2014, the central government decided that the China Eurasia Expo will be held in even-numbered years, and its twin expo, the China Eurasia Commodity and Trade Expo, be held in odd-numbered years.
Since its launch in 2011, the China Eurasia Expo and the China Eurasia Commodity and Trade Expo have received high attention from the Chinese government. With guidance from the government and support from ministries such as the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the China Eurasia Expo has been held successfully five times, and the China Eurasia Commodity and Trade Expo was a success in 2015.
Up to 30 domestic and foreign leaders and heads of international organizations, as well as over 1,100 Chinese and foreign ministers, have participated in the expos. The volume of contracts signed through the expos amounts to 1 trillion yuan ($145 billion), and the total volume of foreign trade transactions is $30 billion.
"The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is located in the core region of the Silk Road Economic Belt. It is the transportation hub, as well as the center of finance, medical treatment, culture and science and technology of the area. The 2017 (China) Eurasia Commodity and Trade Expo will promote foreign investment, and demonstrate the achievements the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous has made ever since reform and opening-up," said Huang Sanping, director of the committee of the 2017 (China) Eurasia Commodity and Trade Expo.
Liu Qiurong, vice secretary-general of the Association of China Commercial Enterprise Management, said that the expo will accelerate the pace of building the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region as the core region of the Silk Road Economic Belt and promote the connectivity and interaction between China and its neighboring countries, as well as the provinces within the nation. It will make great contributions to China's development in economy, social issues and culture.
The 2017 (China) Eurasia Commodity and Trade Expo will be held Aug 24 to 28 and will feature aspects of textiles and garments, food and beverage, agricultural products and tourism and sports, as well as intelligent life.