9th China-Eurasia Expo kicks off, boosting Eurasian economic, trade cooperation

The 9th China-Eurasia Expo opened on Thursday in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, an event promoting trade and investment cooperation across Asia and Europe.

The five-day expo has drawn participants from 49 countries, regions and international organizations, with 27 countries and regions setting up exhibition pavilions. More than 3,000 companies and institutions have signed up to attend.

The United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Korea, Russia and Thailand are making their debuts with dedicated national pavilions at the event under the theme "New Opportunities for the Silk Road, New Vitality for Eurasia" this year. The expo has designated Kazakhstan and Pakistan as guest countries of honor.

Covering a total exhibition area of 140,000 square meters, the expo features six dedicated exhibition zones for investment cooperation, new quality productive forces, specialty industries, green development, culture and tourism, as well as Silk Road cooperation.

Xinjiang enjoys a unique geographical advantage of connecting eight countries via 19 state-approved land ports, laying a solid foundation for cross-border exchanges and cooperation.

Upgraded in 2010 from the former Urumqi Foreign Economic and Trade Fair, the China-Eurasia Expo has developed into a national-level, comprehensive international expo jointly hosted by the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, and Xinjiang's regional government.

According to data from the Ministry of Commerce, the total value of trade in goods between China and Central Asian countries exceeded 100 billion U.S. dollars for the first time in 2025. China has also become the largest trading partner and a major source of investment for Central Asian countries.

9th China-Eurasia Expo kicks off, boosting Eurasian economic, trade cooperation

China will maintain a balanced approach to fossil fuel development and reserves while increasing non-fossil energy supply during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026–2030), so as to build a strong and resilient national energy security system, an energy official said Friday.

At a press conference in Beijing, Wang Hongzhi, head of the National Energy Administration, said China's energy system has demonstrated strong resilience amid recent global market turbulence and the country will further boost non-fossil energy supply during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.

"China will always place energy security in an important position and properly manage both the development and reserves of fossil fuels. Coal is the cornerstone of our stable energy supply, and we must build coal bases in line with this national condition. We will also step up domestic exploration and production of oil and gas, stabilize crude oil output, and increase natural gas supply. At the same time, we will strengthen energy reserve, improve oil and gas reserve systems, enhance coal-to-oil and coal-to-gas capacity and technology, and refine coal production reserves," Wang said.

"We will significantly increase the supply of non-fossil energy, persist in simultaneously developing multiple energies including wind, solar, hydro, and nuclear power, build a new-type power system, promote large-scale and high-proportion utilization of new energy sources, and ensure that incremental electricity consumption is primarily from clean energy," Wang said.

China will also continue to diversify energy imports, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with major energy-producing countries, and work with other countries to safeguard key energy transportation routes, he said.

China to maintain balanced fossil, clean energy