The ninth China-Eurasia Expo took place in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, with a strong focus on opening-up, cooperation and innovation.

This edition achieved a record scale while broadening its international reach, as 49 countries, regions and organizations took part and 27 set up national pavilions. The United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Russia and Thailand presented their first standalone displays during the event, which ran from June 25 to June 29.

Over 3,000 domestic and overseas companies and institutions presented fresh technologies, goods and solutions inside the 140,000-square-meter venue, underscoring the energy of Eurasian collaboration.

Pakistani Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi praised the unprecedented size of the expo as proof of worldwide trust in Xinjiang as a center for China-Eurasia economic and trade ties.

As one of this year's honored guest countries, Pakistan enlarged its pavilion and offered a wider selection of exhibits that illustrated the close friendship and commercial links between the two nations. The rising number of participants shows that global business circles see strong potential in Xinjiang and view the region as an important venue for mutually beneficial trade and investment, he noted.

The ambassador voiced confidence that the expo will keep serving as a bridge promoting connected growth and shared prosperity throughout Eurasia and further afield.

Turkish Ambassador to China Selcuk Unal recalled the ancient Silk Road connections between Turkiye and China. Five Turkish firms joined the expo, and additional business delegates traveled to Xinjiang to seek market opportunities.

He expressed hope for fresh cooperation agreements and trade contracts that would strengthen commercial exchanges across Eurasia.

The president of the UAE China Xinjiang chamber of commerce and fellow townsmen association, attending the expo for the ninth time, described the event as a vital link between Xinjiang and Middle Eastern markets.

A Dubai resident, he pointed to the natural complementary strengths of the two regions: Xinjiang possesses rich agricultural and sideline resources, while the UAE offers robust demand for such products.

In recent years the partnership has grown through platforms like the expo, with more bilateral promotional events. He said the ninth edition created new chances for companies from both areas and anticipated further practical cooperation results.

Built around four pillars-trade promotion, investment cooperation, consumption expansion and innovative collaboration-the expo featured more than 80 themed economic and trade activities, including new product launches, cross-border trade matchmaking and investment promotion talks.

Standout sessions included the Networking Event for Chinese and Central Asian Businesses, the Kazakhstan-themed Export to China session, the Central Asian diplomatic and entrepreneur dialogue and an international buyer matchmaking forum.

The buyer matchmaking forum on June 27 created a direct platform for global suppliers and purchasers. Company representatives from China and abroad gave presentations on sectors such as light manufacturing, agricultural goods, textiles and apparel, new energy equipment, digital trade and cultural tourism.

During the forum, firms from Chinese regions including Xinjiang, Beijing and Shandong held detailed talks with foreign buyer groups, leading to signed cooperation deals in intelligent technology, agricultural machinery, engineering construction and commercial services.

Smart innovation also enhanced the appeal of this year's expo. For the first time a dedicated zone showcased new quality productive forces, highlighting cutting-edge areas such as artificial intelligence, low-altitude economy, digital economy and bio-manufacturing.

A variety of smart products appeared at the event, among them laser-assisted robots that raise cotton planting efficiency, an intelligent satellite system for cross-border ecological protection and robotic equipment suited to various scenarios.

The exhibition illustrated Xinjiang's progress in data centers, smart agriculture and smart city development in Urumqi, Karamay and other key areas. With abundant green energy resources, Xinjiang is transforming the global computing capacity landscape.

Nearly 40 enterprises from Karamay displayed more than 170 exhibits covering oil and gas chemicals, digital computing power, new energy and advanced materials, smart agriculture and cultural and creative industries.

Hami, a key city along the Silk Road Economic Belt, presented items spanning modern coal chemical engineering, superhard advanced materials, new energy equipment, hydrogen energy, computing power, low-altitude economy and modern logistics.

It also functions as a hub for cross-regional data transmission, a node in the national integrated computing power network and a national pilot city for coordinated computing and power development, offering combined strengths in energy, computing capacity, telecommunications and logistics.

Xinjiang has established four major computing clusters in Urumqi, Changji, Karamay and Hami. It has upgraded the cross-border communication network with 28 optical cables linking Central and West Asia, supporting cross-border computing scheduling, digital technology sharing and digital service exports.

Another highlight was the first independent exhibition zone for the low-altitude economy, featuring multiple ton-level industrial drones. Five main models covered scenarios such as large-scale delivery, plateau emergency rescue, oil and power facility inspection, modern agricultural operations and medical supply delivery in remote areas.

In addition, two synthetic biology manufacturers based in Wusu, Xinjiang, presented local industrial achievements and advances in fostering new quality productive forces.

SOURCE China Daily