The annual China Kunming trade fair opened Sunday in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, with 1,300 businesses from 18 countries and regions attending.  

The 11-year old trade fair, held annually in Kunming of Yunnan, was renamed as China Kunming Import and Export Commodities Fair in this year. Its previous name was China Kunming Export Commodities Fair. Yunnan is a province bordering Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar, three countries from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The five-day fair is under regional spotlight as a China-ASEAN free trade area is moving forward as economic and trade cooperation between the two sides are fast expanding.

The ASEAN hall is a major focus of the fair. All 10 member countries of the ASEAN set up a total of 237 display stands at the fair. Vietnam alone has 100 stands for its enterprises, the largest ever in its history of attendance to the fair, organizers said.

The fair for the first time set up a South Asia hall for enterprises from South Asian countries, according to organizers.

Over 4,000 businessmen from ASEAN and South Asian countries are attending the fair, according to the calculation of the organizing committee.

The fair was co-sponsored by the governments of Chongqing Municipality, provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the Tibet Autonomous Region and Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan.

Laotian Vice Prime Minister Boua Sone and Li Zhaozhuo, vice chairman of National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference attended the opening ceremony on Sunday.

(Xinhua News Agency June 7, 2004)