Preparations for the 23rd China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) have shifted into high gear, with exhibitor recruitment and buyer outreach entering the final stretch, the 23rd CAEXPO Secretariat said on August 17. More than 3,000 companies are expected to exhibit across the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center, the CAAIC Community exhibition area and the Guilin International Conference and Exhibition Center. The CAEXPO is also expected to attract more than 30,000 buyers. The figures underscore CAEXPO’s “clear focus on trade and investment, with businesses taking center stage”, and are expected to inject fresh momentum into deeper and more substantive China-ASEAN economic and trade cooperation.

The lineup of major companies continues to grow. Fortune Global 500 companies including China Datang Corporation, Bank of China and Pertamina have confirmed their participation, with the number of such exhibitors up by about 30% from the previous edition.

Companies from ASEAN and beyond have also shown strong interest in the CAEXPO, while cooperation is expanding into higher-value-added sectors. Nearly 500 companies from ASEAN and other overseas markets have confirmed their participation. Exhibits are rapidly expanding beyond traditional categories such as food, beverages and consumer goods into emerging, higher-value-added fields including artificial intelligence and digital communications, helping upgrade the structure of China-ASEAN trade.

Buyer delegations are growing in both size and quality, further improving the effectiveness of targeted matchmaking. More than 30 Chinese organizations have confirmed plans to send delegations, while nearly 40 overseas organizations have expressed an intention to do so. This year’s CAEXPO will, for the first time, use OpenClaw and other new technologies, fully support economic, trade, and matchmaking activities, and foster active engagement between suppliers and buyers; more than 2,000 “one-on-one” matchmaking sessions are expected to be arranged at the CAEXPO.

Over the past 22 years, CAEXPO has attracted nearly 50,000 participating companies and more than 1.5 million buyers in total, establishing itself as a practical platform for advancing regional economic integration. This year’s CAEXPO will capitalize on new opportunities arising from the development of China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0. It will provide participating companies with more solid service measures for empowering them and boosting their efficiency, and promote the high-quality development and upgrading of regional economic and trade cooperation.

Reviewer 1: Huang Mengyao

Reviewer 2: Zhang Yanlan

Reviewer 3: Tang Caihong