The 16th annual Kunming International Import and Export Commodities Fair - aka the Kunming Fair (昆交会) - will take place again this year at the Kunming International Convention and Exhibition Center (昆明国际会展中心) from June 6 to June 10.

The Kunming Fair is a regional trade fair jointly sponsored by the governments of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Tibet, Chongqing and Chengdu. Last year's Kunming Fair saw 162 companies exhibit their products and more than US$158.5 million in completed deals over five days. The total reported value of contracts and agreements signed at the event exceeded 68.1 billion yuan (US$8.9 billion).

According to Kunming media reports, this year China's Ministry of Commerce will participate in hosting the fair for the first time with the stated goal of increasing the scale and quality of the fair.

Yunnan Commerce Bureau Director Sun Xiaohong (孙小虹) said this year the fair will feature 2,318 exhibits, adding that 2,148 exhibitors were already confirmed for the event. Sun said that exhibits by Burmese and Sichuanese enterprises will be slightly fewer in number than last year due to the recent Myanmar cyclone and Wenchuan earthquake, respectively.

Under orders from Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, the Kunming Fair will include a "Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Corridor Forum" (GMS经济走廊论坛) for the first time. The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) includes Yunnan Province, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.

For the third consecutive year the fair will also feature a 'China-South Asia Commerce Forum',(中国-南亚商务论坛) as well as the clumsily named 'ASEAN Chinese Business Investment Southwest Promotion Meeting and Asia-Pacific Chinese Business Forum' (东盟华商投资西南项目推介会 暨亚太华商论坛).

A preview of some of the products on offer can be found on the fair's official website. The website also features other information of less obvious value, including 'Britney Spears loses custody of children', 'Goal-driven achievers less prone to Alzheimers' and 'Abdul says she's straight up ready for a baby'.

The Kunming Fair runs from Friday, June 6 through Tuesday, June 10 from 8 am to 6 pm. GoKunming called the fair's office, which told us the admission fee had yet to be announced (last year tickets to the fair cost 30 yuan/day). For more information, call the fair at (0871) 6269886 or 3155519.

Image:

finance.sina.com

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Tags: ASEAN, Britney Spears, business, Chengdu, Chongqing, foreign trade, GMS, Guangxi, Guizhou, Kunming Fair, Kunming International Convention and Exhibition Ce, Ministry of Commerce, Myanmar Cyclone, Paula Abdul, Sichuan, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Sun Xiaohong, Tibet, Wenchuan earthquake

China Eastern Airlines announced that it will work with Kunming-based China Comfort Travel to offer a new travel package focused on the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) which includes Yunnan province and the countries of Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

The new travel package, Pan Asia Channel, will be focused on domestic travelers flying into Kunming on China Eastern. Luxury buses will take travelers to Xishuangbanna in southern Yunnan. Mekong River cruises and flights to Southeast Asian cities on China Eastern will be coordinated in the port city of Jinghong in Xishuangbanna.

Wintertime - when the generally hot GMS region is at its coolest and the majority of China is quite cold - is expected to be the busiest time for the growing number of GMS travel packages. The March/April dry season will likely see tourism dry up with the Mekong.

Tags: China Comfort Travel, China Eastern Airlines, GMS, Southeast Asia, tourism, travel

Countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) met in Beijing on Tuesday and signed off on the remaining components of the GMS Cross Border Transport Agreement, which will facilitate trade amongst members of the region.

The agreement between China, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia will streamline customs inspections and visas for persons involved in transport operations as well as establishing regionwide standards for cross-border transit and commercial traffic rights exchanges.

This removal and reduction of non-physical trade and transport barriers is expected to stimulate the economies of the region, including Yunnan province, by increasing efficiency and reducing transport times on selected transport routes (see map).

The agreement has been in place since 2005 on the Laos-Vietnam border at Dansavanh and Lao Bao. Six new GMS border crossings will be included in the agreement this year.

Recent regional transport stories:

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Yunnan beginning major rail expansion

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Tags: business, Cambodia, Cross Border Transport Agreement, GMS, Laos, logistics, Myanmar, Thailand, transportation, Vietnam