The 23rd China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit opened on Thursday in Nanning, capital of south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Timor-Leste made its debut at the event as a full member of ASEAN and a co-organizer of the expo.
Themed “CAFTA 3.0 Opportunities, Better Life,” the five-day expo will focus on promoting high-quality regional economic growth through the development of free trade areas, showcasing new achievements and highlights in China-ASEAN economic and trade cooperation.
As a new ASEAN member, Timor-Leste will, for the first time, showcase its specialty products in the expo’s commodity exhibition area and host an investment and trade promotion event. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Timor-Leste will also participate for the first time in the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit and the Annual Meeting of China-ASEAN Business Council and Joint Meeting of China-ASEAN Leaders of Chambers of Commerce and Industry. It will strengthen exchanges with business communities in China and other ASEAN countries, actively integrate into the China-ASEAN regional economic and trade cooperation network, and explore new opportunities for cooperation.
The 23rd CAEXPO covers a total exhibition area of approximately 170,000 square meters, an increase of 10,000 square meters from 2025. It will showcase the latest achievements of cooperation between China and ASEAN countries, as well as new business opportunities arising from CAFTA 3.0. More than 3,400 enterprises from over 70 countries and regions are participating, representing a 5.3 percent increase in the total number of exhibitors from the previous edition.
For the first time, the expo has set up an ASEAN Countries’ Demand Exhibition Area and released an ASEAN Demand List, bringing together project and application needs from ASEAN countries in areas including transportation, smart logistics, artificial intelligence applications, urban management and industrial park development. The initiative aims to create a new one-stop platform for targeted matchmaking between China and ASEAN.
This year’s CAEXPO coincides with the completion and opening to navigation of the Pinglu Canal, a key project of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor in western China. A dedicated exhibition area for the Pinglu Canal has been set up at the expo, while a series of promotional and matchmaking activities will be held in areas including shipping and logistics, cross-border trade and port-related industries. Participants from all sectors are invited to take part and share the benefits brought by the canal.
The newly established Nanning AI Compound exhibition area covers approximately 10,000 square meters. Focusing on the application of ASEAN-oriented scenarios, it will feature artificial intelligence terminal products, application solutions for specialized industries, and public technology services. The exhibition aims to bring AI technologies from exhibition booths into real-world applications, shifting the focus from simply “viewing exhibits” to “discussing cooperation” and “doing business.”
In addition, more than 50 economic and trade promotion activities will be held during the expo, focusing on trade and investment facilitation, regional economic integration, cross-border industrial and supply-chain cooperation, as well as initiatives such as “Buy in China,” “Export to China” and “Invest in China.” (End)