DONGGUAN, China, Oct. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2018 Guangdong 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo (MSR Expo) opened on October 25 at the Guangdong Modern International Exhibition Center in Dongguan, the world-renowned manufacturing city in south China, and lasts for four days till October 28.

As Chen Liangxian, vice governor of Guangdong Province, addressed at the opening ceremony, this year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up and the fifth anniversary of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Guangdong, a pioneer in promoting reform and opening up, has increased cooperation with the Belt and Road countries and regions in all respects. The MSR Expo, inaugurated in 2014, has welcomed 694.5 thousand attendees in the past four years and gained recognition from all sectors, both domestic and international. The event now represents a critical platform for Guangdong and the Belt and Road countries and regions to strengthen exchanges and cooperation.

According to the Expo's organizing committee, the event this year will host 1,732 companies from 57 countries and regions, including 1,221 from overseas, about 70.5% of the total. To meet the needs of exhibitors and buyers more precisely, the Secretariat signed the investment promotion and cooperation agreements with 14 national-level, provincial-level and foreign business associations, respectively. The figure of professional buyers to participate in the Expo is expected to increase from 31,000 last year to 34,000, registering a 9% growth.

South African businesswoman of skin care products Usha Hunsraj said it's the third time that she had attended the MSR Expo. The market reaction to the previous two editions was so positive that she had forged business relationships with many clients around the world.

The tourism and culture exhibition section at the MSR Expo will help expand exchanges and cooperation in tourism between Thailand and the MSR countries and regions, said Ye Hu from the Guangzhou Office of Tourism Authority of Thailand.

The MSR Expo will continue to feature an exhibition in Dongguan and a themed forum in Guangzhou. On October 26, former members of state government and ministers from 15 Belt and Road countries, heads of important business associations and international organizations, world-famous economists and business leaders attended the MSR Expo forum.

The Blue Paper on the Participation of Guangdong in the Construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (2013-2018), which was contributed by Sun Yat-sen University, will be released for the first time during the forum.

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