MACAO- The 16th Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF) opened on Thursday, which attracted 350 delegations from more than 60 countries and regions, and featured over 1,650 exhibition booths.

With the theme of "Co-operation -- Key to Business Opportunities", this year's MIF, held at the Venetian-Macao-Resort-Hotel from Thursday to Sunday, has an exhibition area of over 30,000 square meters and is scheduled to hold 47 international forums, conferences and promotion sessions.

The 16th MIF aims to take advantage of the blend of Macao's unique eastern and western cultures to effectively play the role of regional business platform, so that exhibitors and friends from across the globe can showcase their products, services and technology, deepen mutual understanding and promote exchanges, said Tam Pak Yuen, the secretary for economy and finance of Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), in his opening speech of the event.

Being Macao's only annual international trade and investment fair accredited by Global Association of the Exhibition Industry ( UFI), the MIF has undergone 15 years of continuous development and has established itself as a multilateral, and regional economic and trade fair, according to its organizer Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM).

With 18 percent more booths and 12 percent more participating enterprises, IPIM expects its visitor numbers to grow 20 percent from last year's 90,000.