Myanmar is making preparations to take part in the 7th Expo of China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in a bid to boost foreign trade and investment, the traders circle said on Monday.

Guests attending the China-ASEAN expo, which is scheduled for Oct.20 to 24 in Nanning, capital of southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, will include senior government officials, businessmen from the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and manufacturers from Myanmar industrial zones, the source said.

The Myanmar delegation will strive for enhancement of foreign investments, boosting foreign trade and tourism sector through the expo which also coincides with the opening of China-ASEAN free trade area, it said.

At the previous 6th China-ASEAN expo, a total of 242 entrepreneurs from agriculture, fishery, industry, manufacturing, gems, traditional handicrafts, forestry and hotel and tourism sectors took part in the event.

During the expo, Myanmar won some investment memorandums of understanding from Chinese companies which include those in the sectors of mining, hydropower, agriculture, value-added wood processing and gem production.

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

According to official statistics, bilateral trade between China and Myanmar hit 2.907 billion U.S. dollars in 2009. China's investment in Myanmar amounted to 1.848 billion dollars up to January 2010, accounting for 11.5 percent of Myanmar's total foreign investment.

China stands as Myanmar's third largest trading partner and investor.