OSAKA, March 25 -- The 2014 China-Shandong Fair opened Tuesday morning in the western Japanese commercial city of Osaka with more than 180 companies and factories from the Chinese province.

The 16th edition of the annual Chinese event, held in a major exhibition hall in central Osaka, is organized by Japan-China Economic Relations and Trade Centre and Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry in cooperation with the Department of Commerce of Shandong Province.

According to the organizers, this year's three-day event offers 177 booths in three displaying floors with an area of 5,000 square meters, which is divided into four displaying zones, such as for daily necessities, home fabrics, apparel products and Chinese crafts products, particularly from regions near Taishan Mountain, a World Heritage site in the eastern Chinese province.

Opening the event on Tuesday, Li Honggong, manager of Taishan Art Company, told Xinhua that all displayers there understand the Osaka exhibition is one of the most important overseas trade shows to develop economic ties and enhance communication between the province and Osaka and its neighboring areas, hoping that more visitors would stop over their new booths selling Chinese arts and crafts to introduce Chinese culture in Japan.

The event will run through Thursday.