CHANGCHUN, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The 3rd Northeast Asia Investment and Trade Expo opened on Sunday in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province.

    The expo, with the theme of "opportunity, exchange, cooperation and development", has attracted more than 50,000 investors and merchants from 61 countries and regions.

    Chinese Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan announced the opening of the five-day fair.

    Wang Min, Party chief of Jilin Province, said at the opening ceremony that China's strategy to revitalize the northeast old industrial bases, has provided enormous opportunities for the region's development and the expo serves as a platform for cooperation between China and countries in northeast Asia.

    The expo will hold a series of activities, including a summit forum on investment and cooperation.

    The expo is co-sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, the Office of the Leading Group of Revitalizing the Old Industrial Base in Northeast China under the State Council, and the Jilin provincial government.

    More than 40,000 investors and merchants from 54 countries and regions attended the second expo in 2006, which reaped a foreign trade value of 384 million U.S. dollars.