Chongqing - The Fifth Western China International Fair for Investment and Trade (WCIFIT) is scheduled to be held in Southwest China's Chongqing from May 18 to 21, and the 2023 CCI-ILSTC International Cooperation Forum will be held on May 18. 

The fair is open to the public after 12:00 on May 18, said the press conference on Wednesday.

Under the annual theme "Inland China Opening-up & Innovative Development Driven by Digital Technology," this year's WCIFIT highlights the achievements of digital transformation in open innovation, including thematic activities and exhibitions. 

Malaysia is the guest country, and China's Sichuan and Gansu Provinces are the guest provinces. Twenty-one events will be held during the fair to create a high-end investment and trade platform. 

To date, 824 enterprises from 36 countries and 26 Chinese provinces signed up to participate in the fair, including state-owned enterprises and the world's top 500 companies. Among them, exhibitors from outside the city account for over 50%. 

The Fourth WCIFIT Opening Ceremony and the 2022 CCI-ILSTC International Cooperation Forum opened in Chongqing. (Photo/Wang Yiling)

As this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, the 2023 CCI-ILSTC International Cooperation Forum follows the theme "ILSTC: A Meticulous Implementation of the Belt and Road Cooperation." 

Combining the new trends and characteristics of ILSTC, the forum focuses on its hot topics, inviting public officials, business representatives, and well-known experts and scholars from the countries along the corridor, including Singapore, Laos, Malaysia, and Vietnam. 

With ten exhibition areas, this year's WCIFIT expanded by 20,000 square meters, an increase of 12.5% compared with the previous session. International logistics, energy-saving, and environmental protection industry pavilions will be added. 

Targeting the promising investment in western China, this year will hold the "Invest in China" Western Region Promotion Event. The purpose is to bridge multinational companies and the Western region for information exchange, project matching, and investment cooperation. 

With nearly 200 guests, 105 multinational companies, international organizations, and famous enterprises from over ten countries will attend the event, spanning industries such as high-end equipment manufacturing, business services, material chemical, etc.