PUTRAJAYA, Sept 16 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will lead a delegation to attend the 20th China-Asean Expo (Caexpo), in Nanning, China on September 17.

He is scheduled to deliver his remarks at the opening ceremony of the Caexpo and the China-Asean Business and Investment Summit (Cabis), alongside Chinese Premier Li Qiang and other Asean leaders.

He will also be officiating "Malaysia Pavilion” at the event, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry said in a statement today.

During the visit, Anwar is also scheduled to hold talks with Li on Malaysia-China bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual concern.

Li will host a luncheon in honour of Anwar, added the statement.

The Malaysian delegation also includes Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming, and Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Chan Foong Hin.

The Caexpo is one of the biggest international exhibitions co-organised by China and Asean, which serves as a crucial platform for businessmen and enterprises from the Asean region and China to explore business synergies and promote their products within the world’s largest free trade area.

This year, a total of 107 Malaysian companies from various sectors including food and beverages, health and wellness, lifestyles, and green products will participate in the Expo under the Malaysian pavilion, coordinated by the Malaysian External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade).

Malaysia has been participating in this expo since its inception in 2004.

In 2022, China was Asean’s largest trading partner with total trade amounting to RM3.19 trillion, an increase of 7.8 per cent from 2021. In addition, China’s foreign direct investment in Asean was valued at RM67.52 billion in the same year. — Bernama