China has a strong desire to promote economic and trade ties with countries in Northeast Asia, where economic development remains dynamic amid the global trade downturn, Vice-Minister of Commerce Chen Jian said on Tuesday.

Chen made the remarks at a news conference in Beijing on the Ninth China-Northeast Asia Expo (CNEA Expo), due to be held later this year.

Sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission and Jilin provincial government, it is a State-level expo involving all Northeast Asian countries, and is aimed at deepening economic and cultural exchanges in the region.