Eighty-four Chinese companies would have their products displayed for the first time in Cambodia's annual Imports and Exports Exhibition to be held in Phnom Penh on Dec. 15-18, officials said Tuesday.

Ouprum Vorak, deputy chief of the Trade Promotions Department at Cambodian Ministry of Commerce, said that some 337 companies from 17 countries would display their products at the expo.

"Eighty-four Chinese companies, 59 of them from Guangxi province, are among the exhibitors," he told a press conference. "It will be the first time that a large number of Chinese companies from Guangxi province attend the exhibition."

The event would be essential to expand trade cooperation and to seek investors and trading partners, he said, adding that during the expo period, there would be investment and business forum, trade conference, and agreement signings between local companies and foreign partners.

"I do believe that through the event, the bilateral trade between Cambodia and China will be further developed," he said.

Xu Houchun, deputy director of the Foreign Trade Division of the Commerce Department of Guangxi province, said currently Chinese investors from Guangxi have invested 320 million US dollars in 30 projects in Cambodia.

"I'm confident that the participation of Chinese companies in the upcoming exhibition will contribute to further developing trade ties between China and Cambodia," he said.



Cambodia-China trade volume was worth 2.83 billion U. S. dollars in the first nine months of 2013. The leaders of the two countries vowed last year to boost the volume to 5 billion US dollars by 2017.