BANGKOK - The organizer of Sign Asia Expo joined hands with his new Chinese partner to hold an international sign-advertising trade show on Thursday, building the first matching platform for sign businesses between the two countries.

APPEXPO Thailand, founded by China-based Shanghai Modern International Exhibition Co, has brought more than 50 Chinese companies to Thailand. The four-day exhibition showcases Chinese potential technologies in terms of digital signs, LED, digital printing.

"We choose Thailand as the first stop for our exhibition tour along maritime silk road countries. As the second largest economy in Southeast Asia, Thailand is embracing the rising urbanization, which generates great demands for sign and advertising. That's a chance for Chinese sign enterprises." Zhang Dingguo, CEO of Shanghai Modern International Exhibition Co told Xinhua.

Sakkachat Sivabovorn, president of the leading organizer of Thailand's "SIGN ASIA EXPO" , said Chinese digital printing products that enjoy good quality and low cost, are what the growing international sign and advertising sector calling for.

"To accelerate Thailand's potential to host international sign and ad business trade shows, the exhibition will help promote Thailand as a digital signage hub of Asean," he said, adding that the show hopes to improve innovation and technology in the segment, in line with the government's Thailand 4.0 policy.

Held in the same day,the Sign Asia Expo has gathered more than 400 sign businesses from all of the world. It offers a networking platform for business and industrial operators.

There will also be informative workshops to train interested people from selecting materials to problem solving techniques for each types of sign, and the forecast of the direction of sign and advertising media in the 4.0 era.