AsiaNet 66322

DONGGUAN, China, Oct. 28, 2016 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/--
 

Olive oil from Italy, fruits from Thailand, seafood from Brunei, crafts from India... On October 27, over 1,000 enterprises from 52 countries and regions presented their hit products in Guangdong 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo held in Dongguan of Guangdong in seeking of business opportunities and expansion of cooperation. As an important platform of the Belt and Road Initiative (B&R) debuted in 2014, Guangdong 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo promotes the all-round cooperation between China, especially Guangdong, and nations and regions along the Maritime Silk Road. It is reported that this year the Expo has attracted an increased number of participants along the Maritime Silk Road. According to the Organizing Committee, over 1,000 enterprises from 52 countries and regions have signed up for the Expo, among which 39 countries and regions including Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia own independent national (regional) pavilions. Besides traditional goods along the Maritime Silk Road namely tea, silk and ceramics, the Expo also gathers exhibits with local characteristics, such as diamonds, gold and jewelries from South Africa, wine and olive oil from Italy, white coffee and cocoa from Malaysia, deep sea fish oil and abalone from Australia and rum and honey from Mauritius. "This is my third time at the Expo. Here I find not only long-term business partners but also a good channel to better introduce Turkish culture in exchanges with the locals. Hence no matter how busy my schedule is, every October I always save time for the Expo," said Gokhan Bukmus, a businessman from Turkey. Besides, this year the Expo also arranges an engineering machinery exhibition area, which serves as ideal platform for the matching of considerable infrastructure projects along B&R that provides opportunities for production capacity cooperation between China and countries along B&R. This year the Expo has attracted about 25,000 buyers, a 20% increase than last year. The Organizing Committee expects the total trading volume of the Expo to exceed 200 billion yuan. Source: The Organizing Committee of Guangdong 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo  --BERNAMA