The first China-ASEAN Expo Summit for International Cooperation (CAESIC) opened on Wednesday in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

About 300 representatives from six overseas associations and 23 domestic organizations are attending the summit, according to the organizing committee.

"With the galloping economic growth of China and the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN), a growing number of Chinese companies are ready to invest in ASEAN countries," said Zheng Junjian, deputy secretary-general of China-ASEAN Expo Secretariat.

"Exhibitions these days not only provide a platform for communication but also help companies sell their products directly," according to Edward Liu, president of the Asia branch of the International Association for Exhibition Management.

The trade volume between China and ASEAN countries reached US$130 billion in 2005, representing an average annual increase of 20 percent since 1991.

(Xinhua News Agency April 13, 2006)