Western China trade fair inks deals worth over 200 billion yuan

CHONGQING, May 22 (Xinhua) -- The 7th Western China International Fair for Investment and Trade kicked off in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Thursday, with on-site project agreements exceeding 200 billion yuan (about 27.8 billion U.S. dollars).

The event invited Thailand as the guest country of honor, Sichuan Province as the permanent guest province, and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as a newly added guest city.

The fair attracted over 1,300 enterprises from 39 countries and regions, including 56 central state-owned enterprises, 47 Fortune Global 500 companies, 93 multinational corporations, and 286 leading private firms.

According to the organizing committee, manufacturing and modern service industries accounted for over 75 percent of the total contracted projects, spanning sectors such as aerospace, advanced materials, energy, and smart equipment.