The total trade volume hit a new high of US$1.712 billion at the China-ASEAN Expo, 3.5 percent higher than last year.

Chen Wu, vice governor of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. [China.org.cn]

This year's China-ASEAN Expo ended Sunday in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, setting new records for the amount of trade and international projects signed. The number of domestic deals also increased from last year's total.

Trade transactions over the five days at the expo reached US$1.712 billion, up 3.5 percent from last year. Businesses signed 135 contracts for international projects, valued at US$6.69 billion and a 3-percent rise over last year. Among them, 58 are between China and ASEAN countries worth US$2.66 billion. Deals for Chinese domestic projects totaled 156 and are worth US$10.13 billion, up 9 percent from last year.

The China-ASEAN Expo continued to expand this year, with 15 percent more booths than last year. Out of the 4,600 booths, 1,178 were from 10 ASEAN countries, another record. To help businesses connect with each other, expo organizers for the first time offered three matching programs.

"Purchasing groups from ASEAN countries for the first time conducted trade matching with Chinese businesses through centralized purchasing," said Chen Wu, vice governor of Guangxi.

Other countries, including France, Canada, Germany, Australia and Japan, also had purchasing groups at the expo in the UN procurement center.

Next year's China-ASEAN Expo will be held Oct. 21 to 26.