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Journeying Together to China-South Asia Expo and Shaping a Shared Future of Prosperity
As the gentle breeze of June lingers and flowers bloom across the Yunnan Plateau, Kunming, the capital city of China’s southwestern Yunnan Province, is preparing to welcome a major regional event—the 10th China-South Asia Expo (CSA Expo) and the 30th China Kunming Import and Export Fair.
Over the past nine editions, the Expo has evolved into a practical platform for China and South Asian countries to expand bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, deepen economic and trade cooperation, and strengthen people-to-people exchanges. This year, Bangladesh will serve as the theme country, providing a new stage for deeper cooperation and creating fresh opportunities for the continued growth of China-Bangladesh relations.
Building a New Platform for China-South Asian Cooperation
Co-hosted by China’s Ministry of Commerce and the People’s Government of Yunnan Province, the China-South Asia Expo is a national-level comprehensive exhibition guided by the principles of openness, practical cooperation, mutual benefit and common development. It has become one of the largest and most influential platforms for economic and trade exchanges between China and South Asian countries.
The 10th Expo will be held from 11 to 16 June, covering an exhibition area of 130,000 square meters and featuring 13 specialised exhibition pavilions focusing on sectors such as green energy, modern agriculture, healthcare and wellness industries.
Alongside the Expo, the 7th China-South Asia Cooperation Forum will also be convened under the theme of “Strengthen Cooperative Partnership for a Community with a Shared Future with Neighbouring Countries.” The forum serves as an important multilateral governmental dialogue platform between China, South Asian countries, and countries around the Indian Ocean. It aims to enhance the alignment of development strategies and foster broader regional consensus on cooperation.
Since its establishment in 2018, the forum has brought together thousands of senior officials, diplomats, local government representatives and members of friendly organisations from South Asia and beyond. It has facilitated the adoption of numerous political understandings and cooperation documents and has become an institutionalised annual mechanism for strengthening mutual trust and advancing all-round cooperation.
A Decade of Cultivation Bearing Fruit
For China-South Asia cooperation, the expo is more than a marketplace where exhibits are turned into products. It is also an important platform for advancing industrial collaboration and supply-chain connectivity.
With Yunnan serving as a gateway, Chinese enterprises have used the expo to connect with South Asia’s infrastructure needs, consumer markets and industrial resources, while South Asian specialty products have gained access to China’s vast market. At the end of 2025, the Department of Commerce of Yunnan Province and the Export Promotion Bureau of Bangladesh signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Promoting Imports of Bangladeshi Products, creating a more convenient institutional framework for Bangladeshi goods to enter the Yunnan market.
The numbers speak for themselves. Since its inception, the expo has served more than 18,000 participating enterprises from home and abroad and attracted over four million visits. Cumulative foreign trade transactions have exceeded US$100 billion, while more than 3,000 projects have been signed and implemented. The inaugural expo generated trade transactions worth US$17.47 billion, while the third edition reached a record US$25.19 billion and facilitated the signing of 903 investment cooperation projects.
In 2025, trade between China and South Asian countries exceeded US$200 billion for the first time, representing a year-on-year increase of 10.7 per cent and doubling the level of a decade ago. These achievements fully demonstrate the resilience and enormous potential of China-South Asia cooperation.
Bangladesh as the Theme Country: Sharing New Opportunities for Development
This year, Bangladesh will participate in the 10th China-South Asia Expo as the theme country. This is not only a vivid reflection of the long-standing friendship between China and Bangladesh, but also a valuable opportunity to elevate bilateral cooperation to a new level.
Yunnan is China’s province geographically closest to Bangladesh. The two sides enjoy geographical proximity, cultural affinity and strong economic complementarity. Since the first expo, Bangladesh has participated with more than 100 exhibition booths and has never missed a single edition. As the theme country this year, Bangladesh will be provided with a dedicated 360-square-meter national pavilion to showcase its national image, distinctive products and rich cultural heritage.
At the 9th China-South Asia Expo in 2025, Bangladeshi buyers signed trade contracts worth approximately RMB 25 million with a Yunnan enterprise, covering products ranging from components for light bulb manufacturing to hardware tools, luggage and sporting goods. Since the formation of Bangladesh’s new government in 2026, at least five Chinese enterprises have invested more than US$100 million in the country, creating over 15,000 jobs.
Bangladeshi garments, jute products, leather goods, handicrafts and tropical fruits are increasingly finding their way into the Chinese market through the expo platform. Meanwhile, the China-Bangladesh Joint Cardiovascular Disease Clinic has been inaugurated in Dhaka, and direct flights between Kunming and Dhaka are now operating on a regular basis. These tangible benefits, extending well beyond trade and investment, are enabling ordinary people in both countries to feel the tangible value of cooperation.
On 11 June 2026, the 10th China-South Asia Expo will open its doors. The event will provide Bangladesh with a historic platform to showcase its national achievements, connect with regional resources and share development opportunities.
China stands ready to work with Bangladesh to seize this opportunity, deepen practical cooperation in trade, investment, culture, and people-to-people exchanges, and make new contributions to building a closer China-South Asia community with a shared future. Let us gather in Kunming for this grand event and work together for a more prosperous future.
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The writer is Ambassador of China to Bangladesh
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