URUMQI, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The 9th China-Eurasia Expo opened on Thursday in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, an event promoting trade and investment cooperation across Asia and Europe.

Visitors view a cotton picker displayed at the 8th China-Eurasia Expo in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 27, 2024. (File photo: Xinhua)

The five-day expo has drawn participants from 49 countries, regions and international organizations, with 27 countries and regions setting up exhibition pavilions. More than 3,000 companies and institutions have signed up to attend.

The United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Korea, Russia and Thailand are making their debuts with dedicated national pavilions at the event under the theme "New Opportunities for the Silk Road, New Vitality for Eurasia" this year. The expo has designated Kazakhstan and Pakistan as guest countries of honor.

Covering a total exhibition area of 140,000 square meters, the expo features six dedicated exhibition zones for investment cooperation, new quality productive forces, specialty industries, green development, culture and tourism, as well as Silk Road cooperation.

Fu Yunyan, director of Xinjiang international expo affairs bureau, said the expo's expanding global participation demonstrates Xinjiang's ever-widening opening-up to the outside world.

Fu said more than 80 trade and investment promotion activities will be held during the expo, building a comprehensive docking platform for Chinese and foreign enterprises and institutions to secure orders, negotiate cooperation, drive investment and explore new markets.

Xinjiang enjoys a unique geographical advantage of connecting eight countries via 19 state-approved land ports, laying a solid foundation for cross-border exchanges and cooperation.

Upgraded in 2010 from the former Urumqi Foreign Economic and Trade Fair, the China-Eurasia Expo has developed into a national-level, comprehensive international expo jointly hosted by the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, and Xinjiang's regional government.

According to data from the Ministry of Commerce, the total value of trade in goods between China and Central Asian countries exceeded 100 billion U.S. dollars for the first time in 2025. China has also become the largest trading partner and a major source of investment for Central Asian countries.