Myanmar president to join China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning

Myanmar President U Thein Sein left Nay Pyi Taw on Monday for Nanning of southwest China's Guangxi province to attend the 10th ASEAN-China Expo, which is set to be held from Sept. 3-6.

U Thein Sein was accompanied by U Myint Hlaing, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, U Ohn Myint, Minister of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development, U Win Shein, Minister of Finance and deputy ministers and other senior officials.

Foreign Minister U Wunna Maung Lwin and Commerce Minister U Win Myint arrived in China ahead of the President.

During the expo in Nanning, U Thein Sein is expected to meet Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

The China-ASEAN expo will be joined by Myanmar high government officials, businessmen from the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and manufacturers from Myanmar industrial zones.

About 150 Myanmar businessmen from different sectors will take part in the event with nearly 100 booths.

China's Nanning and Myanmar's Yangon established friendship city relationship in July 2009.

According to Chinese official statistics, in the first three months of 2013, China-Myanmar bilateral trade totalled 1413.59 million US dollars.

China's investment in Myanmar also reached 14.19 billion U.S. dollars in 49 projects, accounting for 33.04 percent of the total as of July 2013 since Myanmar opened to such investment in late 1988 and ranking the first in Myanmar's foreign investment line-up.

It was the fourth time Thein Sein paid visit to China during his term of office.

The annual event of the ASEAN-China Expo is a very important platform to further promote trading in goods and services, investment cooperation, culture and tourist, particularly contributing to strengthening and developing the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership.

During the expo, there will be an ASEAN-China Business and Investment Summit, which is a key platform for leaders of China and ASEAN to exchange opinions and enhance cooperation.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.