A bilateral trade fair held on the border between Burma and China opened on Monday, attracting thousands of business and government participants, according to residents.

The five-day trade show, held at the border town of Jiegong, China, opposite Muse, Burma, opened on Monday and ends on Friday.

A participant told The Irrawaddy that about 3,000 people attended the trade show on Tuesday.

She said the show featured products mostly from China, including machine instruments, motorbikes and commercial products such as textiles, guitars, clocks and other items. Burmese products included traditional medicines, seafood products, various types of crops and agricultural items and sculptures.

Tang Hai, the economic and commercial counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Burma,, said trade between the two countries has increased with China now Burma’s second largest trading partner, following Thailand.

He told the Xinhua news agency that in first three quarters of the year, bilateral trade volume hit US $1.4 billion, increasing by 37.7 percent over last year. Of the total, China’s export to Burma stood at $1.2 billion, up about 45.8 percent, while imports from Burma totaled $220 million, up 5.2 percent.

China’s exports to Burma are mainly textiles, steel and refined oil products. Imports from Burma include timber natural rubber and cane products.

Since 1992, China’s imports from Burma have totaled about $638 million, mainly comprising hydropower, gas, oil, minerals and other products, according to Tang Hai.