This year's expo will cover 130,000 square meters and feature 13 pavilions, including those covering trade in services, green energy, manufacturing, biomedicine and healthcare, culture and tourism, sports, and agriculture, according to Liu Yong, vice-governor of Yunnan province.

Liu said the event aims to create new drivers of cooperation and promote exchanges in openness, trade, industrial collaboration, people-to-people ties, and consumption.

Trade and economic cooperation between China and South Asia has remained resilient and robust, according to Wang Liping, director of the Department of Asian Affairs at MOC. "Last year, the trade volume exceeded $200 billion for the first time, up 10.7 percent year-on-year," he said.