"Nanning Gateway" became a buzzword in the lead-up to the Ninth China-ASEAN Expo, which will be held in Nanning on Friday.

As a gateway to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Nanning, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in South China, has become an important channel linking China and ASEAN countries, making the region more open to cooperation.

Nanning has hosted the annual expo, organized by China and the 10-member ASEAN, since 2004. More than 120 forums on issues including trade, investment, tourism, science and technology between China and ASEAN were held in the city.