KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 19 --The 16th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) in Nanning, China will see the participation of 167 Malaysian companies from various sectors, the Malaysian Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) said Thursday.

The companies, including those from the food and beverage, health and wellness and lifestyle and services industries are eager to showcase their products and services, eyeing increased exposure and enhancing exports to China and fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, the ministry said in a statement.

With the theme "Building Belt and Road Routes, Realizing Our Vision for Community of Shared Future," the event will be held between Sept. 21 and Sept. 24, with this year marking the 16th Anniversary of China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership.

"For the past 15 years since its inception, CAEXPO has been a key platform to promote and facilitate the access of Malaysian small and medium enterprises' (SMEs) into Chinese and ASEAN markets. It is important for Malaysia to continue to promote exports to China," it said.

Initiated in 2004, the expo is an important platform to promote trade and relations between China and ASEAN with the total volume of trade between the two sides hitting a record high of 587.87 billion U.S. dollars in 2018, up 14.1 percent year on year.

MITI Minister Darell Leiking will lead the Malaysian delegation.

The minister will also attend the closing ceremony of the "Malaysia Week 2019" program on Sept. 22, the statement added.

The "Malaysia Week 2019," held in China's Shanghai, between Sept. 16 and Sept. 22, is an online campaign organized by Alibaba Group in collaboration with the Malaysian government to boost exports of Malaysian products and brands in China.