BEIJING — The second China-Mongolia Expo will serve as an important platform to improve economic cooperation and cultural exchange between China and Mongolia, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Aug 1.

The biennial event, scheduled for Sept 26 to 30 in Hohhot, capital of China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, will help promote China-Mongolia economic ties to a high level and improve cooperation among northeast Asian nations at large, Qian Keming, vice-minister of the MOC, said at a news briefing.

China has been the largest trading partner with Mongolia for more than a decade with bilateral trade up 44.2 percent year-on-year to reach $3.1 billion in the first half of 2017, he said.

Chinese investment in Mongolia has also seen robust growth with non-financial outbound direct investment reaching $4.1 billion by June this year.

Both countries will further strengthen bilateral cooperation in infrastructure, animal husbandry and mineral resources, Qian said.

Over 2,000 delegates from China, Mongolia and Russia will attend the expo to carry out pragmatic cooperation to strengthen economic ties, Ai Lihua, vice-chairman of Inner Mongolia autonomous region, said at the briefing.