Myanmar to exhibit precious jade products in China-ASEAN expo

YANGON, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A Myanmar exhibition team comprising over 90 gem companies will display Myanmar's precious jade products at the upcoming 9th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) in Nanning, the capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, official media reported Sunday.

Myanmar jade necklace, bangle, pendant and sculptures as well as ruby and sapphire produced from the famous Mogok region will be mainly exhibited at the expo along with other Myanmar products from the sectors of agriculture, fishery, industry, manufacturing, traditional handicrafts, forestry and hotel and tourism.

The participating companies said "Chinese people highly value Myanmar jade. The number of visitors reached as much as thousands a day in the previous expo and almost every visitor bought at least a piece of jade work. Particularly, they like jade bangle and necklace is their second choice."

According to the companies, jade items fetch higher prices in the Nanning Expo than the local expo. Jade bangles were sold with certificates of gems experts in last year's expo, winning the trust of buyers.

Official statistics show that in 2010-11, Myanmar yielded 46, 810 tons of jade and 12.962 million carats of gems which include ruby, sapphire, spinel and peridot, as well as 275,688 mommis (1, 033 kilograms) of pearl.

China's Nanning and Myanmar's Yangon established friendship city relationship in July 2009.

In 2011, bilateral trade between Guangxi and Myanmar reached 56. 19 million U.S. dollars, 197 percent up from 2010.

The CAEXPO, co-sponsored by the government of China and the 10 ASEAN member states as well as the ASEAN Secretariat, has been held annually since 2004.

Myanmar is awarded the 9th CAEXPO Country of Honor this year and Myanmar President U Thein Sein will deliver speech at the opening ceremony on behalf of the ASEAN member states and inaugurate the event which runs from Oct. 19 to 24.

The CAEXPO will be attached with China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit. Enditem