Overseas companies flock to CIIE
By Xie
Jun
More
overseas companies are flocking to sign up for the second China International
Import Expo (CIIE) after the success of the first showed the benefits they get
from China’s opening-up and greater exposure to China’s market, representatives
from many companies told the Global Times.
As the
100-day countdown began on July 27 for the second session of China’s largest
import expo, it is expected to surpass the first one in scale and attendance,
organizers said.
So far,
61 countries and regions have confirmed their attendance at the exhibition
under the second CIIE, while more than 3,000 companies from 150 countries and
regions will attend the CIIE’s company exhibition, exceeding the first CIIE’s
attendance figure, said Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Bingnan at a press
conference held in Beijing.
In
comparison, companies from more than 130 countries and regions attended the
first CIIE’s company exhibition.
More
than 250 of the world’s top 500 companies and industry leaders have signed up
for the second CIIE, Wang said. The average exhibit area is about 93 square
meters, up 20 percent compared with the first CIIE.
“The
CIIE is a landmark project to push a new round of opening-up for China. It
shows China’s determination that its reform and opening-up will never stop,”
Wang said.
Tu
Xinquan, dean of the China Institute for WTO Studies at the University of
International Business and Economics in Beijing, told the Global Times on July 28 that the CIIE not only shows China’s
determination to balance trade, but acts as a stimulus to China’s supply-side
structural reform. It means that domestic manufacturers will be forced to
increase their competence on a level playing field.
“It can
be expected that the CIIE will be welcomed by overseas companies as it helps
them broaden sales channels in the country,” he said.
The
second CIIE is scheduled to run from November 5-10 in Shanghai.
Benefit from CIIE
An
exhibitors and buyers matchmaking meeting, held in the National Exhibition and
Convention Center in Shanghai, was bustling with activity. Some food companies
turned the hall into temporary kitchens with chefs cooking beef, making coffee
and chopping bread to serve visitors.
Many
exhibitors said that they had updated their exhibit plans for the second CIIE
after receiving generous orders during the first CIIE.
Qiu
Shurong, sales deputy general manager of New Zealand-based, Chinese-owned dairy
products manufacturer TheLand, said that the CIIE provides the company
opportunities to reach China’s markets in smaller cities. He said that online
sales of TheLand products surged 309 percent in the first quarter, which he
attributed to the effects of the CIIE.
“This
year, we are among the first batch of companies to sign up for the second CIIE,
with an exhibition area 1.5 times larger than last year,” he said.
Wu Meng,
vice general manager of Australia-based Aulong Auniu Wang, a beef and seafood
manufacturing and export company, said that the company signed intentional and
genuine deals of about 213 million yuan ($30.97 million) during last year’s
CIIE. The company hopes that this year’s deals could reach 500 million yuan.
“I feel
that trade is becoming more and more convenient in China. As a trader we
benefit from such increasing convenience and our confidence in the Chinese
market is increasing,” she said.
US participation
More
companies from the US will attend the second CIIE than was the case for the
first edition, Ministry of Commerce senior official Ren Hongbin said at the
press conference.
“The
Chinese market has great appeal to companies at home and abroad, including US
companies. For the US, even if there is some friction on the bilateral side, it
can’t change the companies’ attention to and great enthusiasm for the Chinese
market,” Ren said.
In 2018,
more than 170 companies from the US attended the fair, with a total exhibition
area of more than 36,000 square meters, which ranked among the top three groups
of attendees by country.
This
year, companies from the US are even more active and the number attending the
fair will surpass last year’s figure, with an exhibition area 35 percent larger
than last year’s, Ren said.
A PR
representative from the US-based food manufacturer Mars said that Mars is very
optimistic about the prospects of the Chinese market.
“We
believe the current [trade] fluctuations are just temporary,” she said during a
pre-expo exhibitors and buyers matchmaking meeting.
She
disclosed that Mars’ exhibition area for this year’s CIIE will be 30 percent
larger than last year. The company will bring dozens of new products like
sugar, chocolate, pet food and sauces to the second CIIE.
Source:Global Times
On July 28, 2019, the day was the
99th countdown to the second China International Import Expo. Workers climbed
the exterior of the stadium at the National Convention and Exhibition Center
(Shanghai). (Photo by Yang Jianzheng from People’s Daily Online)
Overseas companies flock to CIIE
Reviewed by PEOPLES MAIL
on
13:22
Rating:
No comments: