The 23rd China-ASEAN Expo opened Thursday in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, featuring more than 3,400 companies from over 70 countries eager to tap surging regional trade and unlock new market opportunities.
Marking a major milestone, this year’s five-day event brings together all 11 ASEAN members in Nanning for the first time, with Timor-Leste joining as a co-organizer. Under the theme "CAFTA 3.0 Opportunities, Better Life," the showcase spans everything from traditional industries and digital communications to green development and artificial intelligence.
Officials from the bloc's newest member say the landmark gathering represents a major step forward.
"My feeling is so excited actually, because this is the first time for Timor-Leste after joining ASEAN as the 11th member of the bloc," said Domingos Tilman, a communications consultant with the Timor-Leste presidential office.
For commercial participants, the trade fair offers critical access to Southeast Asia's largest consumer market.
"This is my second time to come here and follow the exhibition. I have more opportunities after the exhibition. I am very happy to be here," said Dwi Sabda Irawati, an exhibitor from Indonesia.
"The Chinese market is so big. We are ready to export to here. In here, we need to find a retailer to import our product to here," said Siti Nur Abidah Binti Ramli, another exhibitor from Indonesia.
The expo comes amid record economic exchange between the two sides. China-ASEAN trade surpassed 1 trillion US dollars for the first time in 2025, up 7.4 percent year-on-year. Regional logistics received an additional boost this year following the opening of the Pinglu Canal, establishing a direct waterway route from southwestern China to Southeast Asian ports.
Global firms gather in Nanning as expanded 23rd China-ASEAN expo kicks off
Russian political experts said the upcoming talks between Russia, the United States and Ukraine amount to technical consultations, with almost no room for negotiation on core issues, making major breakthroughs unlikely.
The trilateral talks on the Ukraine issue will be held in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, from Tuesday to Wednesday. Security guarantees for the parties, confidence-building measures and humanitarian efforts are among the topics for discussion.
"These are consultations, not negotiations. Discussions are underway on important, but in principle, technical questions. That is, they will not talk about territories, they will not talk about the nature of the regime, they will not talk about Ukraine's internal rules regarding language and Russian culture," said Dmitry Trenin, chairman of the Russian International Affairs Council.
"In my view, the Ukrainian side is not independent. The shadow of the European Union is always looming there. And in current conditions, the Europeans, by and large, do not want to make concessions to Russia," said Andrey Sidorov, associate professor at the History Department of Moscow State University.
Russian President Vladimir Putin set out Moscow's position at a meeting with the Foreign Ministry leadership in June 2024, saying Russia would declare a ceasefire and begin talks as soon as Ukrainian forces withdraw from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions and Kiev announces it will not join NATO.
"When our president articulated these demands, a corresponding caveat was made - that if you do not meet us halfway now, our positions may harden according to the real situation on the ground. And Ukraine and the West are letting the time slip away," said Andrey Koshkin, head of the Department of Political Analysis and Socio-Psychological Processes at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics.
Ahead of the Abu Dhabi talks, a humanitarian operation was carried out in the city of Oleshky in the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, evacuating hundreds of civilians to safe locations.
According to Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov, Russia prioritizes achieving its goals by peaceful means. On Friday, Putin also invited members of the Russian negotiation team to a meeting with Federal Security Council members to discuss the upcoming trilateral talks.
"It can be said with certainty that we will definitely not compromise on territories. But for everything else -- the size of the Ukrainian army, the security zone, security guarantees for Ukraine from the West, they can be discussed," said Konstantin Blokhin, a leading researcher at the Center for Security Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Russian experts expect little breakthrough from Russia-U.S.-Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi
