Cambodia's Ministry of Commerce said on Friday that the forthcoming 20th China-ASEAN Expo is a significant platform for trade and investment between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The expo, together with some sideline events such as the Cambodia-China Business, Investment and Tourism Forum and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Forum, will be held from Sept. 16 to Sept. 20 in Nanning, the capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

"To restore and promote business and investment activities in the post COVID-19 pandemic era, the ministry, as an expo co-organizer, would like to invite Cambodian businessmen, entrepreneurs, investors, service providers and producers to attend the expo," the ministry said in a statement.

The expo would be held offline after China optimized its anti-COVID-19 strategy and resumed its outbound group tours earlier this year, the statement said, adding that it would be a good opportunity for Cambodian business people to reconnect with their Chinese and ASEAN counterparts.

The ministry's Secretary of State Chhuon Dara said the expo is the largest annual trade event between China and ASEAN and that it has attracted more and more exhibitors and visitors over the past years.

"The expo will be a great opportunity for Cambodian products to enter Chinese and ASEAN markets," he said in a recent forum. "It is also a good opportunity to attract more investors from China and ASEAN to Cambodia."

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.