China-South Asia Expo draws fresh faces, seasoned players in hunt for partnerships

KUNMING, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingled with the rhythmic swirl of a robotic tea art ceremony as the 9th China-South Asia Expo opened its doors to a world of possibilities, welcoming new and seasoned participants seeking business opportunities.

The six-day event, opening on Thursday in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, has brought together more than 2,500 enterprises from home and abroad, featuring 16 exhibition halls, nearly 70 percent of which are dedicated to professional sectors such as manufacturing, green energy, the coffee industry and traditional Chinese medicine.

Among the crowds, Md Samrat Babor from Bangladesh stopped by a Chinese manufacturer's booth to inspect rows of LED bulbs.

The purchaser who came to the expo for the first time said that back home, incandescent bulbs were used in the past, but now, made-in-China LED lights had grown increasingly popular.

"Even my family uses these with supreme quality," he said, hoping to establish connections with more Chinese enterprises during this trip and bring energy-efficient bulbs back to Bangladesh.

To help the least-developed countries in South Asia expand exports to China, a zero-tariff policy has been implemented on eligible products from countries like Afghanistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. This policy serves as a strong foundation for returning exhibitors to further explore the Chinese market.

Ali Azghar Faiz, a carpet merchant from war-torn Afghanistan, said it was the third time he had attended the expo. Considering his past successful experience at the expo, he brought more products with different colors and designs for Chinese customers.

"We hope we can open a door, a window for Afghan products for the Chinese market and through these kinds of platforms, we introduce the Afghan products, Afghan culture to our Chinese friends," he said.

Sri Lankan businessman U. A. Ajith, engaged in coconut shell product sales, was glad to find Sri Lanka was the theme country of this year's expo.

He said Sri Lanka is a major coconut producer and his eco-friendly coconut shell products were popular last year at the expo. This year, his company has developed various coconut shell products like key rings and activated carbon.

"The environmental protection concept in the Chinese market is in line with ours, and we look forward to finding more like-minded partners here," Ajith said.

The expo was first held in Kunming in 2013, the same year China put forward the Belt and Road Initiative. It has since facilitated over 110 billion U.S. dollars in foreign trade transactions and served more than 20,000 enterprises.

In 2024, trade between China and South Asian countries neared 200 billion U.S. dollars, doubling over the past decade with an average annual growth rate of 6.3 percent, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce.

China remains committed to high-level opening up and is advancing Chinese modernization through high-quality development, a process that will create valuable opportunities for cooperation with countries around the world, including those in South Asia, Vice Minister of Commerce Yan Dong said at the opening ceremony.

The expo has also created opportunities for new partnerships beyond South Asia. On Friday, first-time participant, Dubai-based floral dealer Forevermore Flower Trading, signed a deal worth 150 million yuan (about 21 million U.S. dollars) with a local supplier in Yunnan, a major fresh flower trading hub in Asia.

"Yunnan's flowers offer both variety and consistently improving quality," said Xu Nan, a representative of Forevermore Flower Trading, expecting that Yunnan's premium blooms will attract more Middle Eastern customers. ■