PHNOM PENH — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, accompanied by businesspeople and senior officials, flew to Nanning City of southwest China’s Guangxi province on Sept 15 to attend the 11th ASEAN-China Expo.

Senior officials accompanying the prime minister included Commerce Minister Sun Chanthol, Governor of the National Bank of Cambodia Chea Chanto and Sok Chenda Sophea, secretary-general of the Council for the Development of Cambodia, as well as other members of the government, Sry Thamarong, minister attached to Prime Minister Hun Sen, told reporters at Phnom Penh International Airport before the departure.

The 11th ASEAN-China Expo and the ASEAN-China Business and Investment Summit under the theme”building the 21st century Maritime Silk Road”will be held from Sept. 16 to 19, and Hun Sen is scheduled to deliver a speech during the opening ceremony of the expo on Tuesday. “It is the eighth time that Prime Minister Hun Sen attends the expo,” he said. “This clearly reflects Cambodia’s active role in promoting the expo, which is a good platform to further broaden relations between China and ASEAN in general and between China and Cambodia in particular.”

He said Cambodian companies have their products showcased in 88 booths at the expo and a troupe of Cambodian artists has also performed at the event.

The annual event of ASEAN-China Expo is a crucial platform to further promote economic and trade ties between China and Southeast Asian countries.

The expo was initiated by former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao during the 7th ASEAN-China Summit and was first held in 2004. It is usually held in Nanning City of China’s Guangxi province.

The event helps promote trading in goods and services, investment cooperation, culture, and tourism, particularly contributing to strengthening and developing the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership.

On the sidelines of the expo, Hun Sen will meet separately with Zhang Gaoli, vice premier and member of the Standing Committee of Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and Thai Foreign Minister Tanasak Patimapragorn, according to Sry Thamarong.