The Tianjin-Taiwan trade fair opened Thursday in north China's port city of Tianjin, attracting more than 700 Taiwan companies.

The companies set up over 1,200 stalls, bringing more than 20,000 products, including food, jewelry, textiles and farm produce, to the fair, according to Tianjin's Taiwan affairs office.

A fair to promote cross-Strait investment also started in Tianjin the same day.

"The investment fair has become a major event for cross-Strait economic and trade cooperation," said Liu Jieyi, head of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.

Starting from 2008, the annual investment fair has seen some 80 projects inked, with a total investment of 16.8 billion yuan (2.5 billion U.S. dollars).

The trade fair, which has been held since 2010, has attracted 3.32 million buyers.