Liaison office unveiled to boost China-South Asia trade cooperation

CHENGDU, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Sichuan Liaison Office of the South Asia-China Business Council was unveiled Wednesday in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, to boost economic and trade cooperation of both sides.

The office will assist in preparing for big summits, meetings, and economic and trade activities for entrepreneurs from China and South Asian countries, according to a business leaders summit held in Sichuan.

By establishing trade and investment promotion platforms, both sides can explore new economic growth engines and tap the cooperation potentials in the fields of technological innovation, blue economy, sustainable development and green transformation, Ke Liangdong, vice chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), said at the summit.

Sichuan, an inland province on the fast track of China's new round of opening up, saw its import and export volume with countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia exceed 170 billion yuan (about 26.4 billion U.S. dollars) last year, accounting for one-fifth of the province's total.

The South Asia-China Business Council was established in 2006 to serve as a channel to promote exchanges between CCPIT and chambers of commerce in South Asian countries and boost regional economic cooperation.