Pedestrians take photographs of a decoration for the 17th China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. ( YU XIANGQUAN / CHINA DAILY)

President Xi Jinping will address the opening of the 17th China-ASEAN Expo and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit via video link on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Thursday.

The international exhibition area has 229 booths for participants from 22 countries, including Pakistan, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, India, Iran, France, Italy, and Russia

Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, will also attend the opening ceremony, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian announced Thursday.

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Zhao said that China has always regarded ASEAN as a priority in its diplomacy with neighboring countries. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China and ASEAN members have worked together to overcome difficulties and fight the pandemic, and have actively promoted economic recovery.

China will hold the annual expo and business and investment summit as scheduled, and President Xi will make a video speech, fully demonstrating China's determination to uphold higher-level opening up and continue to promote China-ASEAN economic and trade cooperation, said Zhao.

China will unswervingly deepen reform and opening up and build a new development pattern, during which ASEAN members will be the first to benefit, Zhao said.

He added that China is willing to use this expo to deepen economic and trade cooperation with ASEAN, promote their ties to a new high, and make breakthroughs in regional economic integration.

The 17th China-ASEAN Expo scheduled from Nov 27 to 30 in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, will hold a slew of online and offline activities.

Themed "Building the Belt and Road, strengthening digital economy cooperation," the expo aims to deepen cooperation in trade, digital economy, science and technology, health and other fields.

With a planned exhibition area of 104,000 square meters, this year's event will set up 5,400 booths, Gao Feng, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, told a press briefing on Thursday.

More than 1,500 enterprises from home and abroad will participate virtually in the four-day event, Gao said.

The international exhibition area has 229 booths for participants from 22 countries, including Pakistan, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, India, Iran, France, Italy, and Russia.

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The expo will also host 11 high-level forums and more than 160 economic and trade promotion activities. 

Initiated in 2004, the annual expo is an important platform for promoting trade and bilateral relations between China and the ASEAN. 

With inputs from Xinhua