Chongqing- The opening ceremony of the 3rd Western China International Fair for Investment and Trade (WCIFIT) will be held on May 21, and the 2021 CCI-New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor International Cooperation Forum will open on the same day, according to a press conference on Wednesday.

WCIFIT is a national-level international event in China's western region, serving as an important diplomatic platform, trade cooperation platform, and investment promotion platform for opening up the country.

Additionally, the Forum will focus on the linkage development of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC) and regional economy for exchanges, and all parties will jointly release the ILSTC International Cooperation (Chongqing) Initiative.

Covering theme activities and exhibitions, a series of activities will also be held as a supporting set for this year's WCIFIT.

With an area of 110,000 square meters, the theme exhibitions involve eight exhibition halls. In addition, Columbia, Indonesia, and Vietnam are invited to serve as guest countries, and Sichuan Province, Yunnan Province, and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region will serve as guest provinces.

Through setting up a special pavilion for the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle, the WCIFIT will focus on displaying the advantages of the economic circle on its continuous construction and the latest results of cooperation.

Relevant cities, districts, and counties will carry out a series of round-table talks, business inspections, and project docking activities under the theme of twin city coordination for inclusive development to stimulate endogenous motivation for cooperation between the two places.

Furthermore, this year's WCIFIT is planned to be held in the form of offline-oriented and online-offline integration, where a series of exhibitions, forums, investment, and trade activities will be held offline.

Through the establishment of live exhibition halls and online speeches and discussions with overseas guests, the WCIFIT aims to strengthen international exchanges and cooperation and expand external influence.

"At present, the COVID-19 epidemic is still spreading around the globe, where the world economy is struggling to recover," said Zhang Zhikui, Director of the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce and Director of the Office of Executive Committee of the WCIFIT. "Holding the 3rd WCIFIT and the 2021 CCI-ILSTC International Cooperation Forum will indeed provide more cooperation opportunities for countries and regions."

Zhang said it also further promotes the international and domestic dual-cycle, enhances the high-level opening-up of the western region, builds up high-quality development, and contributes greater China power to the recovery and growth of the world economy.