Havana, June 20 (RHC)--The 3rd Edition of the International Convention and Exhibition of Cuban Industry (CubaIndustria 2018), continues in the Cuban capital with lectures, round tables and exhibitions.

The meeting is being attended by representatives from around 30 countries, including China, Russia, Spain, Germany and Italy.

The event is aimed at promoting Cuba's official portfolio of investment and to attract foreign capital and entrepreneurs, in order to establish joint ventures and develop strategic economic sectors.

The Minister of Industry, Salvador Pardo, highlighted the presence of a Chinese business delegation in the event, in a confirmation of the “excellent” state of bilateral ties between Havana and Beijing.

Pardo said Cuba and China have signed relevant cooperation agreements in the spheres of renewable energy and transportation, among other important areas.

CubaIndustria 2018 includes a business forum at which Cuban officials will provide insights on the advantages of investing at the island's first Special Economic Development Zone, located at the mega port of Mariel, 50 kilometers west of Havana.

The Mariel Special Economic Development Zone is the largest infrastructure project executed by the Cuban government in the last decade and is expected to become the nation's main gateway for foreign trade.

Cuba needs over 2.5 billion U.S. dollars in foreign investments annually to achieve sustainable development, according to figures released by the Minister of Foreign Investment and Trade, Rodrigo Malmierca.

This third edition of Cuba's industrial fair and convention, CubaIndustria 2018, will run until Friday, June 22nd.