CHANGCHUN, Aug. 23 -- The 14th China-Northeast Asia Expo opened Wednesday in Changchun, the capital city of northeast China's Jilin Province.

The five-day event, scheduled both online and offline, has attracted more than 1,000 companies from home and abroad, with a predominant representation from countries in Northeast Asia.

Themed "joint development of Northeast Asia in cooperation for the future," the expo will include a roundtable conference on regional cooperation, a think tank forum, and a series of business activities.

Northeast Asia is one of the most dynamic regions for global development, and has world-leading technological research and development capabilities, said Hao Mingjin, vice chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, while delivering a speech at the opening ceremony.

Each country in the region has its own economic advantages and distinctive characteristics, with strong complementarity, Hao said, adding that China is willing to work together with relevant countries to take regional cooperation to new heights.

First launched in 2005, the expo has become a major platform for countries in Northeast Asia to build consensus and forge economic and trade cooperation. More than 2,900 cooperative projects have been signed, with investments totaling 1.97 trillion yuan (about 270 billion U.S. dollars).