Kazakhstan invited as special partner of China-ASEAN expo

The 14th China-ASEAN Expo is scheduled to be held from Sept. 12 to 15 in Nanning, capital of south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (Photo: China-ASEAN Expo/Facebook)

NANNING, Sept. 2 — Kazakhstan will take part in the 14th China-ASEAN Expo this month, the first country along the Silk Road Economic Belt to be invited as a special partner.

The 14th China-ASEAN Expo is scheduled to be held from Sept. 12 to 15 in Nanning, capital of south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Since 2014, in addition to “10+1” cooperation between China and the 10 ASEAN members, the expo has expanded to include 21st Century Maritime Silk Road countries, said Yang Yanyan from the expo’s secretariat.

Australia, the Republic of Korea and Sri Lanka, all of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road countries, have been invited as special guest countries successively to attend the expo over the last three years.

This year, the expo expands further to include the Silk Road Economic Belt by inviting Kazakhstan, Yang said earlier this week.

Kazakhstan will set up a pavilion and host a trade promotion conference and diverse cultural events during the expo, according to Yang.

Kazakhstan is China’s largest trade partner in Central Asia. Bilateral trade between the countries jumped by 39.2 percent year on year to USD9.27 billion in the first seven months this year.