KUNMING, Aug. 16 -- The seventh China-South Asia Expo kicked off Wednesday in Kunming, capital city of southwest China's Yunnan Province.

More than 30,000 exhibitors, representatives and guests from 85 countries and regions, and international organizations, are expected to attend both online and offline activities during the five-day expo.

The expo, themed "Solidarity and Coordination for Common Development," has set up 15 exhibition halls featuring diverse themes including South Asia Pavilion, Southeast Asia Pavilion, resource-based economy pavilion, and port economy pavilion.

When the first expo was held in 2013, the trade volume between China and South Asian countries amounted to less than 100 billion U.S. dollars, but the figure reached 197.4 billion U.S. dollars last year, with an average annual growth rate of 8.3 percent, according to Vice Minister of Commerce Li Fei.

Various kinds of events such as a cooperation forum, a business forum, a think tank forum, and a technology transfer and innovation cooperation conference will be held during the expo.

The expo has now become an important platform for multilateral diplomacy, economic and trade cooperation, and cultural exchanges between China, South Asian and Southeast Asian countries.