NANNING - The ninth China-ASEAN Expo will be held from September 21-25 in Nanning, capital of South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, the secretariat of the expo announced Wednesday.

Zheng Junjian, secretary-general of the China-ASEAN Expo Secretariat, said, with a theme of "cooperation in science and technology," the event will cover five subjects: commodity trade, investment cooperation, advanced technology, service trade and "charming cities."

The China-ASEAN Expo was initiated by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the 7th China-ASEAN summit in 2003 in order to promote the establishment of China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) and common prosperity.

The past eight expos witnessed a trade volume of $11.69 billion, and investment regarding international cooperation programs signed during the events totaled $49.17 billion.