MORE than five times as many Myanmar traders and business officials will attend the 4th China-ASEAN Expo this week as took part in last year’s CAEXPO, a government trade official said last week.

“This year’s delegation of 269 people is the biggest out of all four CAEXPOs held in Nanning,” in China’s Guangxi Autonomous Region, said U Han Win Naing, deputy director of the Department of International Trade Promotion under the Ministry of Commerce.

“We took nearly six months to prepare for this event, including the construction of a national (four-storey) pavilion in Nanning. The pavilion and Myanmar’s booths on display there are looking really sharp,” he said.

Myanmar, like other ASEAN members, was granted 10 acres in Nanning on a 70-year lease to build a national pavilion.

A total of 201 companies belonging to a range of Myanmar’s leading trade associations are expected at the October 29-31 expo, including those representing rice millers, beans and pulses traders, garment makers, gem producers, the fishery sector, forestry, rubber culti-vation and manufacturing.

It is the first time Myanmar gem traders have been allowed to promote their products at the expo.

All 10 ASEAN members will attend the trade fair, with many countries sending high-ranking government officials. South Korea and Japan will also have one booth each.

U Zaw Min Win, vice president of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI), last month said the federation was hoping up to 200 Myanmar traders would sign on for the CAEXPO.

“But the number of people wanting to go surpassed expectations, which means Myanmar businesses’ awareness of this year’s CAEXPO is higher than we realised,” U Han Win Naing said.

A 50-member delegation attended the event last year.

Myanmar will display at least 200 booths at this year’s CAEXPO, compared with a total 132 booths over the previous three editions, U Zaw Min Win said.

Organisers are expecting 3000 booths to be set up, of which some two-thirds will be Chinese. Vietnam will display 192 booths, Malaysia 169 and Thailand 122 booths, organisers said.