Bengaluru, June 10 (IANS): About 150 Indian firms from diverse sectors are all set to participate in the 3rd China-South Asia expo that begins this Friday in China's Yunnan province.

"India is the partner country this year in the five-day expo comprising trade fair and brain-storming sessions on investment and trade promotion between China and South Asia," Federation of Indian Export Organisations'(FIEO) president S.C. Ralhan said in a statement here on Wednesday.

The expo, to be held in Kunming city, is also a part of China's Bridgeahead Construction' strategy to establish the provincial capital city and Yunnan province in the southwestern region as a gateway between the mainland and its neighbours to the south and the west.

The Indian exhibitors, showcasing their products and goods, will include participants from sectors such as leather handicrafts, jute, garments, gems and jewellery and spices.

As head of the Indian delegation, Ralhan will address the China-South Asia business forum at the expo on accelerating business through the silk road economic belt.

"The event is a great opportunity for our exporters to showcase their products and establish trade linkages with China and countries in South Asia and South-East Asia to pave the way for greater cooperation in trade and investment," Ralhan added.

Bilateral trade between India and China, the two major Asian economies, has risen to $72 billion in last fiscal (2014-15) from $58 billion in 2010-11, with the trade volume with Yunnan being $523 million.