BEIJING   -    Pakistan, like previous years, will participate in the 19th China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit to be held in Nanning, Capital of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region of China, from Sep­tember 16 to 19. 

The relevant authorities have completed all the ar­rangements in this regard, a senior official said on Sunday. Pakistani traders and indus­trialists will display handi­crafts, furniture, auto parts, gem stones, carpets, sports goods, agricultural machin­ery and surgical instruments during the expo. 

Themed in sharing new opportunities of the RCEP and jointly advancing ver­sion 3.0 of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, the events will showcase the new achievements and high­lights of the economic and trade cooperation between the two sides. Covering an area of 102,000 square me­ters, this year’s exhibition for the first time will feature several sections on new en­ergy vehicles, culture and tourism, healthcare and cross-border e-commerce. 

As many as 21 high-level forums and more than 80 economic and trade promo­tion activities will be held during the expo. 

China has remained ASEAN’s largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years. During the first seven months of this year, their trade with each other surged 13.1 percent year-on-year to $544.9 billion, account­ing for 15 percent of China’s total foreign trade during the period. As of the end of July, bilateral investment be­tween China and ASEAN had exceeded $340 billion, while the turnover of Chinese en­terprises from project con­tracts in ASEAN countries exceeded $380 billion.