Source: CCTV.com

09-03-2008 10:11

The fourth Northeast Asia Investment and Trade Expo kicked off in Changchun, the capital of northeast China's Jilin province on Tuesday morning. The 5-day event aims to promote renewal of aging industries in the northeastern region apart from generally boosting cooperation in trade.

The 4th China Jilin - Northeast Asia Investment and Trade  Expo opens in Changchun, capital of Northeast China's Jilin Province, on Tuesday, September 2, 2008. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]

This year's Northeast Asia Investment and Trade Expo sees participation from countries not only from the region, but also from Southeast Asia, Africa, the US, Germany and Canada.

Organizers are expecting about 60 senior executives from the world's top 500 companies, as well as roughly the same number of government officials.

The event will include promotion of commodity trading, investment and business forums.

Chen Deming, Commerce Minister said "Northeast Asia is one of the world's most economically dynamic regions. It boasts a huge market of nearly 1.7 billion people, a fifth of the world's economic aggregate. The economies around the region are unique and also complementary. The expo provides a good chance for mutual investment and trade."

Wang Min, Secretary of Jilin Provincial Committee of the CPC said "Over the past three years, the expo has put a lot of effort into setting up a cooperation platform for countries in Northeast Asia. At present, efforts to revitalize northeastern China provide a unique opportunity and great cooperation potential for people who want to invest or start businesses."

The northeast Asian region covers China, Russia, Japan, Mongolia, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea.

Launched just three years ago, the Northeast Asia Expo has served as a key platform for economic cooperation. As of the end of last year, more than 100 billion US dollars in direct investment from neighboring countries had poured into China while investment in the other direction had hit about 4 billion US dollars.