The 2019 South and Southeast Asia Commodity Expo and Investment Fair (SSACEIF) opened this morning (June 12) in Kunming, Yunnan Province.

With the theme of “gathering in the forefront and co-building a powerhouse of opening-up for common development,” the SSACEIF covers an exhibition area of 170,000 square meters. 

Around 7,500 booths were set up in 17 pavilions at this year's trade fair, including the Pavilion of Green Energy, the Pavilion of Green Food, the Pavilion of Biomedicine and General Health, the Pavilion of Culture and Tourism, the Southeast Asia Pavilion, the South Asia Pavilion, the Pavilion of Other Countries, the Taiwan Pavilion, the Pavilion of B&R Investment and Cooperation, and others.

Sri Lanka serves as the theme country, while Cambodia is the guest country of honor. Special exhibition areas are designated for the honored countries at this year’s trade fair. Representatives of 74 countries and regions and 3,348 enterprises attended the opening. 

A total of 14 high-end forums are staged in Kunming during the 2019 SSACEIF: the 2nd China-South Asia Cooperation Forum, the 17th ASEAN Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs Conference, the 8th Yunnan-Taiwan Economic Trade and Cultural Conference, the 14th China-South Asia Business Forum, the 3rd China-Southeast Asia Business Forum, the 7th China-South and Southeast Asia Think-Tank Forum, and others.

The SSACEIF is co-organized by the China Chamber of International Commerce, the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the ASEAN-China Center, and the Secretariat of the China-South Asia Expo and Kunming Import & Export Fair. And it is undertaken by Yunnan Provincial Department of Commerce, Yunnan Foreign Affairs Office, the CCPIT Yunnan Sub-Council and more.

In recent years, Yunnan has made good use of its natural resources and favorable location, while improving connectivity, stepping up opening up and optimizing business environment. In 2018, Yunnan’s GDP reached 1.78 trillion yuan, an increase of 8.9% year-on-year. Foreign trade volume amounted to 193.7 billion yuan (around 29.89 billion USD), increasing 24.7% year on year and representing a record high in the same period over the past years.