NANNING, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka will join as a Special Partner Country for the 22nd China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) scheduled for Sept. 17-21 in Nanning, capital city of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the expo secretariat confirmed on Wednesday.

A high-level Sri Lankan government delegation led by senior diplomatic officials will attend the event. National key enterprises, including port companies and spice companies, will participate to deepen economic and trade ties with China and ASEAN.

Sri Lanka will hold a national image exhibition, product display and national promotion event during the expo.

Introduced at the 11th CAEXPO, the Special Partner Country mechanism invites Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) member states or Belt and Road participating countries outside China and ASEAN. This makes the expo a platform to boost exchanges and create business opportunities between China, ASEAN and beyond. Sri Lanka previously held the role at the 13th CAEXPO.

China-Sri Lanka cooperation currently spans infrastructure, energy, port development and other sectors, helping strengthen bilateral economic and cultural ties. ■