The third Uzbekistan-China Forum on Local Cooperation opened on Thursday in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, alongside the 10th Silk Road International Exposition and Investment and Trade Forum for Cooperation between East and West China, gathering officials, business leaders, and other representatives from around the world to explore new opportunities under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Organizers said that the events aim to deepen regional cooperation between China and Uzbekistan, strengthen trade and investment ties, and inject fresh momentum into high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

The forum and exposition are also expected to further enhance connectivity between local governments, industries, and markets, while helping Shaanxi reinforce its role as a gateway for China's inland opening-up and a key hub linking domestic and international markets, organizers added.

The combined events, hosted by the Shaanxi provincial government, will run for five days through May 25. Jiangsu and Yunnan provinces are serving as guest provinces of honor.

This year's Silk Road expo features 10 major activities focusing on trade cooperation, industrial development, and innovation-driven growth. Key areas include Silk Road commerce, cross-border logistics, digital economy, financial services, and scientific and technological innovation.

Among the highlights are activities promoting Chinese exports and two-way trade with Belt and Road partner countries, global cooperation exchanges for the China-Europe Railway Express economic circle, and events on Silk Road e-commerce, digital economy cooperation, and cross-border financial collaboration with Central Asian countries.

The exhibition area spans 72,000 square meters, featuring country pavilions displaying specialty industries and products from Belt and Road countries, as well as Chinese consumer brands and technological innovations. Other exhibition zones spotlight cooperation between Chinese provinces, low-altitude aviation economy, intelligent automobile manufacturing, and integrated port-trade-industrial development.

Hu Qing contributed to this story.