Fair seen as boosting exchanges, opening-up, friendship

President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter on Sunday to the 20th Western China International Fair, stressing that unity fosters shared success, and collaboration drives common progress.

Xi said China is ready to take the fair as an opportunity to further enhance mutual understanding, strengthen friendship and deepen cooperation with friends from various countries.

The president expressed the country's willingness to uphold the multilateral trading system and ensure the stable and smooth flow of global industrial and supply chains with the rest of the world, in order to inject new impetus into the prosperity and development of the world economy.

The focus of this year's fair is expanding high-level opening-up, deepening regional exchanges and cooperation, and boosting the construction of a modern industrial system, Xi noted.

The fair promotes the forging of a new development paradigm and the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road, and it provides an effective platform for countries around the world to share the development opportunities in China's western region, he added.

Under the theme "Deepen Reform for More Momentum, Expand Openness for Greater Growth", the five-day fair opened on Sunday in Chengdu, the capital of southwestern China's Sichuan province.

A total of 204 key enterprises and business associations, including 32 well-known multinational companies, are participating in the fair. They span various areas such as artificial intelligence, the low-altitude economy, modern logistics and biopharmaceuticals.

Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune, deputy prime minister of Laos, said in a speech at the opening ceremony that the fair provides valuable opportunities for business matchmaking, investment cooperation and information sharing for enterprises from Laos and other participating countries, significantly enhancing regional connectivity in commodity markets.

"We are committed to deepening mutual understanding and trust between nations and enterprises, working together to achieve stable and sustainable development," he said.

Yuan Xin, chairman of the Chengdu Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment, said he noticed wider and higher-level participation in this year's fair.

The fair will undoubtedly attract more foreign investors to actively engage in the development of China's western region in the new era, Yuan said.

China's western region, which covers six provinces, five autonomous regions and Chongqing municipality, accounts for more than 70 percent of China's land area and is home to nearly one-third of the nation's population.