2023 Maritime Silk Road Expo opens in Guangzhou

The 2023 Guangdong 21st century Maritime Silk Road International Expo opened on Friday in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, and offers a platform for countries and regions related to China's Belt and Road Initiative to expand and deepen cooperation and exchanges.

Leung Chun-ying, the vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said the expo, with its concept of joint discussion, construction and sharing, has played an important role in promoting cooperation and exchanges between China and BRI countries and regions in the past.

He also expects that participants will seek opportunities to deepen cooperation to contribute to high-quality development in the greater Bay Area of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao, and the entire nation.

The expo was first held in 2014 and was held on the second day of the event.

More than 1,000 companies from 57 countries and regions related to the BRI are attending the event, which was organized in the exhibition halls of the China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou's Haizhu district. Beyond boosting their profiles in the vast Chinese market, they aim to further enhance cooperation and exchanges to address crises and achieve economic recovery.

The expo has become a platform for regional cooperation, development and opportunity sharing, said China Council for the Promotion of International Trade's vice-chairman, Zhang Shenfeng.

It will play a part in further promoting collaboration and exchanges between Guangdong and BRI countries and regions, he said.

He added that participants should pool their wisdom, build consensus, deepen cooperation, and together promote the high-quality development of the BRI.

Guangdong Province's vice-governor, Zhang Xin, said Guangdong is trying to establish a new system for higher-level of open economy, which aims to further expand and deepen cooperation with BRI countries and regions in future.

As the largest trading partner of BRI countries and regions, he said, Guangdong has now become the largest two-way investment region in China.

With BRI countries and region, Guangdong's import and export volume now represents 27 percent of the province's total last year, up from 16 percent in 2014, Zhang said.