CHONGQING, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The 9th China International Exhibition of Military and Civil Technologies kicked off Thursday in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, drawing more than 200 delegations from China and abroad.

Organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Association of Inventions and Chongqing municipal government, the four-day event will showcase more than 2,000 hi-tech items for both military and civil purposes.

In addition to the 200 delegations, more than 1,000 Chinese and overseas enterprises and government organizations will also attend the event, according to organizers.

For the first time, this year's exhibition has set up an exhibition hall specifically for countries along the Belt and Road. Over 20 countries including Russia, Hungary and Germany have displayed their dual-purpose technologies in fields of Artificial Intelligence, biological medicine and environmental protection.

Daniil Lozhkin, lead programmer of St. Petersburg-based Rover Co. Ltd, brought spherical robots produced by his company to the exhibition, hoping to find Chinese partners and explore the Chinese military-civil dual-purpose technology market.

This transparent ball-shaped robot was first utilized in space exploration and defense equipment, he said, adding nowadays, it can be used to help elderly people, children and people with disabilities, and can also help search and rescue efforts during disasters such as fires and earthquakes.

"We've established cooperation with European partners, but our products haven't drawn any Chinese clients' attention so far," he said.

China's military-civilian integration market has broader prospects, he said, expecting to strengthen cooperation with China and other countries along the Belt and Road.

"We exported 64,000 U.S. dollars worth of products to Chinese enterprises last year, which is a lot of money. I'm here to promote our products and seek more cooperation with Chinese companies," said Sergey Khvosch, CEO of a Russian company which researches and develops aviation products.

Forums which showcase military-civil dual-purpose technology integration and innovation will also be held at the exhibition.