Preparations for the 48th WorldSkills Competition, scheduled for September 22 to 27 in Shanghai, has entered the final stage, Vice Mayor of Shanghai Chen Jie said at a press conference in Beijing on Friday.
Briefing the media on the preparations for this year's WorldSkills Competition, Chen said the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) Shanghai will serve as the venue for the world's biggest international skills competition this year.
The venue for this year's WorldSkills Competition will span 360,000 square meters, about the size of 50 standard soccer fields, according to Chen.
"All the layout plans and venue designs for the competition have been reviewed and approved by the WorldSkills International," said Chen, also deputy director of the 48th WorldSkills Competition Organizing Committee.
The WorldSkills Competition is a premier biennial international event that brings together young professionals from all over the world to compete in various vocational and technical skills.
This year's edition is expected to attract more than 6,000 accredited participants from 70 countries and regions, including over 1,400 competitors who will compete in 64 skills across six sectors, according to another Chinese official speaking at the press conference.
The competition this year is expected to set four records in WorldSkills history: the largest number of competition items, the largest number of newly added events, the widest international participation, and the largest number of competitors.
Preparations for 48th WorldSkills Competition enter final stage
From textiles and tea to home decor and handicrafts, exhibitors from across South Asia and beyond are showcasing their products at the 10th China-South Asia Expo, which opened on Thursday in southwest China's Yunnan Province.
The expo, a major platform for economic and trade exchanges between China and South Asian countries, is bringing together businesses, government officials and investors from across the region. This year, Bangladesh is serving as the Theme Country.
"For this exposition, they (our exhibitors) can introduce their goods to the Chinese market that will open up for future expansion. In the same way, we want to convey this message to the Chinese investors -- Bangladesh is a very mature investment destination at the moment," said Khandaker Abdul Muktadir, Bangladesh minister of commerce, industries, textiles, and jute.
The expo comes amid expanding economic ties between China and South Asia. Official figures show trade between China and South Asian countries exceeded 200 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, up 10.7 percent year on year. And that strong momentum has continued this year, as growing economic links create new opportunities across the region.
"A total of 87,000 artisans are working with us. And many of our products are handmade, like leather bags, like home decor. And we definitely expect we will get attention from the visitors, and we'll get very good feedback," said Mohammad Minhaz Uddin, a Bangladeshi exhibitor.
"This is a very good platform. Here you can find new buyers, and you make good friends, you make good connections," said Orangzaib Khan, a Pakistani exhibitor.
Beyond the country pavilions, the expo also features more than 10 themed exhibition halls covering areas such as advanced manufacturing, green development, modern agriculture and regional cooperation.
One of the highlights is the newly established Trade in Services Pavilion, which showcases new business models, emerging technologies and the latest achievements in trade in services, reflecting China's efforts to expand high-quality opening-up and deepen cooperation with regional partners.
"We are now entering the era of AI and robotics. Yunnan is home to many border ports, especially those connecting with Southeast Asian countries such as Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. We hope to actively introduce advanced robotics and AI technologies to make customs clearance smarter and more efficient," said Tian Jinyu, a representative of Maxvision Technology.
10th China-South Asia Expo opens amid growing regional trade
