Twenty-two international friendship cities and provinces of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region have confirmed their attendance for the upcoming 19th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO), which will take place in Nanning from Sept 16 to 19, CAEXPO Secretariat officials announced on Aug 9.

Among the 22 places are Phnom Penh of Cambodia, West Java Province of Indonesia, Vientiane of Laos, and Bundaberg of Australia.

A 288-square-meter exhibition area, which will be set up for the first time in CAEXPO's history, will be located in this year's exhibition zone for RCEP countries. Exhibits representing these cities, spanning food, drinks, and consumer goods, will be displayed, while theme performances will be staged to highlight the culture of these places.

It is expected to help promote the distinctive products and industries of these places, as well as deepen mutual economic and trade cooperation and exchanges.

To date, Guangxi has formed friendship city ties with 125 international cities and provinces in 38 countries, ranking fourth in China. Among them, 57 cities and provinces are in ASEAN countries.