Signing ceremony of economic and trade cooperation projects at the 2019 South and Southeast Asia Commodity Expo and Investment Fair(SSACEIF) in Kunming.

On June 13, the 2019 South and Southeast Asia Commodity Expo and Investment Fair (SSACEIF) kicked off in Kunming,capital of Yunnan Province in southwestern China. Exhibitors from 74 countries, regions and international organizations were featured at the event. A total of 3,348 enterprises from 20 Chinese provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions and foreign countries attended the SSACEIF. A series of activities themed around “A Better Gateway and Powerhouse for Shared Development and Prosperity” were held during the event, which attracted global attention.

Yunnan Province connects to the Silk Road Economic Belt to its north and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road to its south. It is the only Chinese province with land routes connecting to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The 2019 SSACEIF in Kunming will not only help the province open wider to the outside world but will also drive economic integration in South and Southeast Asia.

Against the backdrop of a global slowdown in growth and a rise in trade protectionism, economic and trade cooperation between China and South Asian and Southeast Asian countries is an even more important method of creating opportunities in these countries, which is conducive to rapid economic development of the region.