The 2019 Guangdong 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo will be held in Guangzhou from Aug 23 to 26. The event aims to forge Guangdong's international image as an elaborate implementer of the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as a highly desired venue for business and cooperation.

With five years of cultivation and growth, the expo has developed into a platform with strong influence in the countries and regions along the Belt and Road. It is increasingly speeding up its pace in promoting Guangdong's internationalization, branding, and marketization, as well as enlarging the province's international partners and influence.

From the year 2019 on, the venue of the expo will be transferred from Dongguan to Guangzhou. The venue will be at China Import and Export Fair Complex Zone A and B.

According to a press conference held in Guangzhou on June 27, this year's expo will cover an exhibition area of 160,000 square meters, more than double that of last year. It will also move away from the previous practices of setting up enterprise exhibitions for pavilions of countries and mainly display the images of the countries along the Belt and Road, as well as their achievements.

The expo will highlight the exhibitions for the countries along the Belt and Road, where their respective manufacturing products, hi-tech products, culture and tourism, as well as specialty handicrafts will be showcased. There will also be exhibitions for cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, which will showcase the image of the "9+2" cities in the Greater Bay Area and demonstrate the advantages of the advanced manufacturing industry and modern service industry base of the Greater Bay Area. Additional exhibitions for domestic provinces and cities will focus on the display of cultural products, folk customs, and tourist routes.

The specialized exhibition areas cover four categories, namely the modern agriculture and food processing industry, the advanced manufacturing industry, the modern service industry, as well as the marine economy.

The Guangdong 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International press conference is held on June 27 in Guangzhou. [Photo by Lu Jian/Xinhua]