Lin Jian, deputy mayor of Xiamen, said the China International Fair for Investment and Trade is an important platform for promoting investment and economic cooperation around the world. [Photo by Zheng Caixiong for China Daily]

The 2020 China International Fair for Investment and Trade is expected to play a role in promoting regional economic cooperation and help restore confidence in global investment, a senior official said on Thursday.

The annual CIFIT will take place in the Xiamen Special Economic Zone in September. It is a good platform to boost investment and economic cooperation, said Lin Jian, deputy mayor of Xiamen, Fujian province.

The event, which attracts investors and business representatives from more than 100 nations and regions has now become the largest investment event in the country and is opening its doors wider to the world, he said.

"Only when all countries and regions around the world unite will we defeat COVID-19 and ward off the economic crisis caused by the pandemic," Lin said.

Lin made his remarks at the Guangzhou Promotional Symposium of CIFIT in Guangzhou on Thursday.

He said his city welcomes investors and business people from around the world and urged foreign and domestic investors and business people to seize the opportunity to promote investment and enhance their economic cooperation, as cooperation will be a win-win deal.

The fair is developing into an important platform for a new round of China's high-level opening-up, Lin added.

Chen Haoying, director of the Xiamen Convention and Exhibition Industry, said that more than 30 nations and regions have already promised to send investment and trade delegations to this year's fair.

"Special seminars, lectures, symposiums and exchanges will also be organized to help promote investment and economic cooperation," Chen said.

The fair is set for Sept 8 to 12 and will include more than 5,000 booths covering an area of more than 100,000 square meters.

In addition to the offline fair held in Xiamen, fair organizers have signed a contract with Alibaba Group to create an online event this year, offering cloud exhibitions, cloud contract signing, cloud seminars and could negotiations online, Chen said.

More than 300 government officials, business executives and consular officers participated the Guangzhou Promotional Symposium on Thursday.

The fair was first held in Xiamen in 1997.