On May 14, the State Council Information Office of China holds a press conference on the 13th Central China Investment and Trade Exposition. Ling Ji, vice minister of commerce and deputy China international trade representative, announced that the expo will be held in Changsha, Hunan province, from May 31 to June 2 this year.

The press conference. (Photo/Yang Kejia, Chinanews)

The central China expo is committed to building a platform to promote the opening-up of the central regions. It has become an effective carrier for the country to implement the strategy of the rise of central China and a vital platform to expand external economic and trade exchanges and cooperation among the six provinces in the central regions. Since 2006, the expo has been held for 12 sessions. The six central provinces have made full use of this platform to actively promote external investment and vigorously expand cooperation and exchanges. The expo has played a pivotal role in facilitating the coordinated development of regional economy and boosting the opening up of the central regions.

This year's expo will feature more than 20 serial events related to exhibitions, project matchmaking and investment promotion. The events include special investment promotion conferences for the "bringing in" in advanced manufacturing fields such as modern petrochemical industry, new materials, electronic information, and new energy vehicles; trade and investment matchmaking meetings for enterprises to "go global" and explore the overseas market; and, an industrial digital finance cooperation and matchmaking conference aimed at promoting a virtuous cycle of "scientific and technological innovation + industrial development + financial services".