More than 12,000 people and 1,052 enterprises signed up to participate in the Expo Central China 2024, which opened in Changsha, Hunan province, on Friday.

The three-day expo has attracted representatives from 32 countries and regions. Since it was first held in 2006, it has been held in turn among six central provincial regions, namely, Shanxi, Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei and Hunan provinces, every two years.

Each province is expected to host a promotional event for its key industrial chains during the expo. For example, Hunan province's event centers on its petrochemical industry, while Anhui province is expected to promote its new-energy vehicle industry.

According to Hunan Daily, the six provinces account for around 25 percent of China's population and 22 percent of the country's GDP. The combined GDP of the six provinces reached 27 trillion yuan ($3.7 trillion) last year, 10.4 times larger than in 2003, with an average growth rate higher than that of the national average and that of the eastern regions.