Linyi city, a leading wholesale trading center in East China's Shandong province, is leveraging the internationalization of Linyi Trade City, a large market cluster and a crucial logistics hub, to build itself into a hub for opening-up to the rest of the world.

To this end, the city will host the 4th edition of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Regional (Shandong) Import Expo from June 27 to 29 under the theme "Innovation, Openness and Integration" as well as the 3rd edition of the Linyi Trade City International Sourcing Conference for Belt and Road Cooperation from October 18 to 20.

The 4th RCEP Expo has established 11 indoor exhibition areas and one multi-functional space, covering a total exhibition area of 35,000 square meters, which is equivalent to 1,200 international standard booths. The event will feature a range of supporting activities, including the opening ceremony, the promotional event of the guest country, connections among international sister cities, and an investment promotion event.

Since the implementation, RCEP has facilitated deepening regional cooperation, functioning as the largest free trade agreement in the world. In 2024, Linyi achieved a total import and export value of 78.65 billion yuan ($11 billion) with RCEP member countries, an increase of 9.7 percent year-on-year.

The October conference will feature a main venue and several specialized sessions. More than 1,000 representatives from international business associations and purchasers are invited to attend the event, engaging in discussions and negotiations with local enterprises and the business community in Linyi.