People visit the Greenland Global Commodity Trading Hub in Shanghai, east China, July 25, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang)
BEIJING, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- The third China International Import Expo (CIIE) is scheduled to be held in November in Shanghai. From exhibitors to importers, from exhibits to merchandise, the spillover effect of CIIE has been expanding.
-- Global debut
With less than 100 days to go before the opening of the third CIIE, many exhibitors are already gearing up to shine in November.
Last year, U.S. cosmetics giant Estee Lauder set up a Crystal Palace, which became a scene where people visited to take photos and post on social media. For this year, Estee Lauder's exhibition area will expand by 100 square meters and it will present new series, new products, cutting-edge technologies to the visitors.
"Since it came to China 27 years ago, Estee Lauder has been following the pulse of China's development," said Fan Jiayu, president of Estee Lauder Companies in China.
"China has become the largest international market for Estee Lauder, and we will take full efforts to support the recovery of consumption and prepare for the third CIIE," Fan said.
German company Air Natural Capacity Solution GmbH has attended the CIIE for the past two years. For the third year, they will bring an all-in-one medical personal protection system, which will be the product's debut around the globe.
"This medical personal protection system provides healthcare workers with all-round protection," said Yang Guirong, assistant to the chairman of the company's branch in China. The company has recently established strategic cooperation with the Department of Commerce of Heilongjiang Province to set up a factory.
This year, the average exhibition area for the Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders will increase by 14 percent from last year, Sun Chenghai, deputy director of the CIIE Bureau. "It reflects a broad recognition of both the CIIE and the Chinese market," Sun said.
-- New upgrades
The third CIIE is upgraded from the last ones in several aspects.
The exhibition area is bigger. The enterprise exhibition area of the third fair covers 360,000 square meters, 60,000 square meters more than the last one, with an increase of 20 percent.
The exhibitors are more competitive. The number of Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders that have signed up to join the event has already reached that of the previous events. Most of the top ten companies in medicine, medical equipment, dairy, cosmetics, high-end consumer goods, inspection and testing instruments, automobile, electrical engineering and construction machinery have signed agreements to attend the exhibition.
The trading platform is enlarged. The Greenland Global Commodity Trading Hub is the permanent trading service platform of the CIIE, which integrates the functions of exhibition, purchase and trading, commercial services, bonded exhibition and sales, retailing and tourism, etc. More than 60,000 foreign products of different categories are put up for sale at the hub, including more than 7,000 items exhibited at the expo and more than 6,000 items from countries along the Belt and Road.
Policy support is enhanced. The General Administration of Customs of China has recently introduced 14 measures to ensure the safety and convenience for participants and exhibits to enter and leave the country. Other relevant governmental bodies are also busy studying new support policies.
-- Turn exhibits into merchandise
The Hongqiao Import Commodity Exhibition and Trading Center was established as a legacy of the first CIIE, where the exhibits have been turned into merchandise.
The center is a permanent display and trading platform bringing together more than 1,200 brands from over 70 countries and regions, with a total of 400,000 square meters for the first phase.
It integrates the functions of bonded exhibition, commodity trading, logistics and warehousing and customs clearance services together, illustrating the spillover effect of the CIIE.
Behind the current venue, two tall buildings are under construction. "In the future, it will become a brand new import commodities exhibition center of the CIIE," said Cai Jun, general manager of the center.
"Building A is planned to cover an area of 80,000 square meters, which is mainly for trading of automobiles, intelligent equipment and medical equipment displayed at the expo, while building B is planned to be 130,000 square meters, for trading of imported food, daily consumer goods and household goods," Cai introduced.
"The main structure of building A will be completed before the opening of the expo this year," said Cai.
Besides fore selling, prices at the center will be lower. It is learned that through direct contact with exhibitors and innovative trading model, some products may be priced even lower than overseas markets, which will undoubtedly stimulate the enthusiasm of consumers.
(Edited by Yang Qi with Xinhua Silk Road, kateqiyang@xinhua.org)
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