This aerial photo taken on Aug. 7, 2023 shows a view of Kunming Dianchi International Convention and Exhibition Center, the venue for the seventh China-South Asia Expo in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)

The 8th China-South Asia Expo opened on Tuesday in Kunming, the capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, attracting over 2,000 exhibitors.

Nearly half of the exhibitors are companies from South and Southeast Asia.

The six-day event features 15 exhibition halls with themes including architecture technology, manufacturing, green energy and modern agriculture.

Notably, for the first time, a pavilion dedicated to the coffee industry has been established, highlighting Yunnan's status as China's premier coffee producer. Over 160 companies are showcasing their products in this pavilion.

The expo was first held in Kunming in 2013, the same year China put forward the Belt and Road Initiative. Since its inception, the expo has served more than 18,000 domestic and foreign companies, promoted trade of more than 100 billion U.S. dollars, and facilitated the signing of over 3,000 projects.

Jointly organized by the Ministry of Commerce and the Yunnan provincial government, the expo is one of the year's most important events for economic and trade exchanges between China and South Asian countries.

Official data shows that trade volume between China and South Asian countries reached nearly 200 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, twice the amount recorded in 2013.