This photo taken on Sept. 17, 2023 shows the Nanning International Conference and Exhibition Center in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Zhou Hua) 

The 20th China-ASEAN Expo opened on Saturday in Nanning, the capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, with nearly 2,000 enterprises attending.

The participation figure marks an 18.2-percent rise from last year's expo, which was attended by 1,653 enterprises.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the 20th anniversary of the China-ASEAN Expo. Over the past decade, the BRI has brought about an infrastructure boom in ASEAN countries, with the China-Laos Railway, the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway and Malaysia's Kuantan Port among its flagship projects.

At the expo, officials and business people praised BRI projects for facilitating trade, investment and cooperation in the region, and for spurring the region's economic recovery after the pandemic.  

People select products at a booth of Russia at Belt and Road International Pavilion during the 20th China-ASEAN Expo at Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Sept. 17, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Ailin)

People select products at Belt and Road International Pavilion during the 20th China-ASEAN Expo at Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Sept. 17, 2023.(Xinhua/Zhou Hua)

People visit the Belt and Road International Pavilion during the 20th China-ASEAN Expo at Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Sept. 17, 2023. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

Actresses perform dance near a booth of Vietnam at Belt and Road International Pavilion during the 20th China-ASEAN Expo at Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Sept. 17, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Ailin)