REGIONAL> Development
Thai PM expresses high expectations for 6th CAEXPO
By Zhu Yanting
Updated: 2009-07-12 11:12

The annual China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) held in Guangxi has become “a window, opportunity and bridge” for Thailand and China to deepen cooperation, said Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of Thailand during a recent interview to CCTV.

Amid the ongoing global financial crisis, Thailand, which holds the rotating presidency of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), pays great attention to the CAEXPO. Thailand has applied 112 booths for its exhibitors at the 6th CAEXPO to be held in October, including enterprises of food, clothing, cosmetics and decoration.

China leads all the ASEAN countries in investment in Thailand. From the first session of the Expo in 2004, Thailand's trade volume with China rocketed from $3.5 billion in 1997 to $40 billion in 2008.

Opening in Nanning in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the Expo has brought great business opportunities to China and ASEAN countries.

Over the past five sessions, the expo has in total attracted about 119,000 participants and the total trade volume has reached $6.52 billion.