The first preparatory meeting for the 2019 China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) is held in Kunming, capital city of Yunnan province on March 5. [Photo by Lin Ting/chinadaily.com.cn]

The first preparatory meeting for the 2019 China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) was held in Kunming, capital city of Yunnan province on March 5.

According to the meeting, this year’s fair, slated to be held in Xiamen International Conference and Exhibition Center from Sept 8 to 11, will have an exhibition area of 130,000 square meters, with roughly 6,000 booths.

Han Jingyi, deputy mayor of Xiamen, Kou Jie, deputy director of the Yunnan Provincial Department of Commerce, Chen Ansheng, deputy director of the Fujian Provincial Department of Commerce attended the meeting.

According to Wang Qiongwen, director of Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Conference and Exhibition, a dozen of forums and seminars themed on Belt and Road Initiative are scheduled amid the 2019 edition.

After 20 years' development, the CIFIT, an annual investment promotion event held in Xiamen, now has grown into the largest, most influential and most comprehensive two-way investment promotion event in the world.

In 2018, the fair facilitated the signing of 1,982 investment projects worth 527.5 billion yuan ($76.45 billion) and drew the attendance of more than 120,000 representatives of 1,005 industrial and commerce associations and about 5,000 companies representing 128 countries and regions.