BiH economic fair opens with China as main guest of honor

Ji Ping, Chinese ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the 22nd International Economic Fair Mostar in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), on April 9, 2019. The 22nd International Economic Fair Mostar opened on Tuesday, featuring China as the main guest of honor (partner country) and over 50 Chinese companies showing their latest products. (Xinhua/Nedim Grabovica)

SARAJEVO, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The 22nd International Economic Fair Mostar opened on Tuesday, featuring China as the main guest of honor (partner country) and over 50 Chinese companies showing their latest products.

Held in Mostar, a city some 130 kilometers southwest of Bosnia and Herzegovina's capital Sarajevo, the fair was opened by Chairman of BiH's Presidency Milorad Dodik.

Dodik said that it was important that China took part in the fair as the main guest of honor this year, since China's economy is one of the most important ones in maintaining global growth.

Dodik emphasized the importance of cooperation between China and the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC), adding that the cooperation is important for BiH in times when the global economy is languishing.

"We can learn a lot from China," Dodik said.

For the last 10 years, exhibitors from China presented their products at the fair, and the cooperation has been intensified in the last three years.

This year, Chinese companies such as Huawei, ZTE Corporation, China Railways, Guangzhou Gcm Electronic Technology Ltd. displayed their products, according to the fair's official website.

The International Economy Fair Mostar is one of the most significant and most-visited events in the region.

Organizers expect some 50,000 visitors to visit stands of 860 exhibitors from more than 30 countries and regions. The expo lasts from April 9 to April 13.