SHANGHAI, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The third China International Import Expo (CIIE) introduced "cloud signing" for the first time on Wednesday afternoon due to the coronavirus epidemic.
The impact of the epidemic on the CIIE is "limited" at present, as the organizers are trying their best to offset the negative impact with the help of the internet, said Zhou Lingyan, with the CIIE.
Non-contact means, such as phone calls, video calls and emails, are now in place to prevent the possible delay of preparation work.
“While the epidemic has brought some challenges to the preparation, it has also brought opportunities to some extent," Zhou said. "Medical enterprises are now seizing the opportunity to further explore the Chinese market. Enterprises in technical equipment, automobile and consumer goods also need to take the opportunity to make up for the impact of the epidemic as many expos are canceled or delayed."
"The CIIE is the first national-level expo worldwide focusing on import and a breakthrough in international trade," said Kamran Vossoughi, president and chairman of Michelin China. The company is confident that the expo will be held on schedule and turn out to be a success, Kamran said.
"Real gold is not afraid of fire,” Kamran Vossoughi said, adding that the company has confidence in the future of the Chinese economy despite the current novel coronavirus outbreak.
"We participated in the first CIIE but missed the second," said Sean Shan, president of Takeda China, adding that the company will demonstrate its strong innovation ability in oncology, rare diseases, gastroenterology and neuroscience in the third CIIE this November.
"In the coming years, we plan to launch more than 15 innovative drugs in China."
Statistics showed that by the end of January, more than 1,000 exhibitors worldwide had signed up for the third CIIE, with more than half of the exhibition space designated.
The third CIIE will take place in Shanghai from Nov. 5 to 10.
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