The 2016 Xiamen International Industrial Exposition kicked off on April 12 in Xiamen, a coastal city in the southeastern province of Fujian, attracting 40,000 business participants from around the world.

With a focus on "smart manufacturing", the 2016 expo, located in the 100,000-square-meter exhibition area inside the Xiamen International Convention and Exhibition Center, displays machinery used in manufacturing, construction and rubber and plastics industry, industrial robots and automation solutions, industrial molds, 3D printing technology, printing equipment and advertising technologies.

Nearly 100 industrial robot producers and automation solution suppliers, including major market players from the US, Germany, Japan and China are mounting exhibitions of cutting-edge technologies and products.

The Haixi (Xiamen) International New Energy Industry Expo and Summit Forum, China (Xiamen) International Engineering Machinery Fair and Xiamen Printing and Adverting Technology Fair are running concurrently with the expo.

The 2016 Forum of Economy and Trade Across Taiwan Straits, with a theme of innovation and entrepreneurial cooperation, took place on the morning of April 12. It was organized by the Cross-Straits Common Market Foundation and the Association of Economy and Trade Across Taiwan Straits.

A young entrepreneur contest is being held to encourage exchange and cooperation between the mainland and Taiwan. The contest is the first of its kind in the expo's history, the Science and Technology Daily reported.

Also on the event calendar are a series of workshops and symposiums on topics such as e-commerce, smart manufacturing, wearable computing, and industrial cooperation.