The countries of Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam have confirmed that they will each book an entire or half an exhibition hall during the upcoming 20th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) while Singapore and Thailand have confirmed their participation in the event.

This was announced during the Senior Official's Meeting of the 20th CAEXPO held on May 9 in Nanning, capital of South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Also settled during the meeting is that this year's CAEXPO will take place on Sept 16 to 19 in Nanning.

Yu Xiang, deputy head of the Department of Asian Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce, said that the volume of bilateral trade between China and ASEAN countries in 2022 hit $975.3 billion, set against the sluggish global economy.

Yu added that China would work with ASEAN countries to make full use of CAEXPO to deepen trade and investment.

Thai officials noted that Thailand has reserved 80 exhibition stands for the 20th CAEXPO and will recommend that its cities participate in the themed exhibitions on charming ASEAN cities. In addition, senior Thai officials will be invited to attend major forums and conferences during the event.

Officials of the CAEXPO Secretariat announced that this year's event will conduct a series of celebrations for the 20th anniversary of the expo and that 14 high-level forums will also be held.