Event gets OK from the central govt to take new name, role

The ninth China-Northeast Asia Expo will be held in Changchun, Jilin province, from Sept 6 to 11.

The Ministry of Commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission, and Jilin province are co-hosting the event.

The expo has become an important channel for dialogue among Northeast Asian countries. It is also a bridge for trade cooperation in China's Northeast as well as a communication platform for people in the area.

Larger scale

Last September, the State Council gave the China Jilin-Northeast Asia Investment and Trade Expo permission to change its name to the China-Northeast Asia Expo.

Though it is just a small change to the wording of the title, the move has major implications, the expo's organizers say. It indicates that the expo covers a larger area and has been elevated to the level of a national event.

The name change signals that the expo has become an important strategic platform for opening China to Northeast Asia in terms of communication and cooperation.

"Since its establishment, we have been devoted to building a high-end and practical expo for communication and cooperation among Northeast Asian countries," said Chen Weigen, a member of the provincial Party committee and deputy governor of Jilin.

"After the name change, the expo will play important roles in three aspects," Chen said.

First, the expo will create a dialogue about regional economic cooperation. Northeast Asia's regional economy accounts for one-fifth of the world's total. Its great potential has drawn the attention of the world.

Making the expo into a State-level event oriented toward Northeast Asia shows the central government's active attitude about economic and trade cooperation with other countries in the region.