Chinese President Xi Jinping will be in attendance at the inaugural China International Import Expo (CIIE), a mega-exhibition which will see the country attempting to attract lucrative international business.
The event will take place in Shanghai’s National Exhibition and Convention Centre (pictured) from 5-10 November, and will see 2,800 companies from all G20 member states attending. About 160,000 buyers from more than 80,000 Chinese and foreign companies are signed up for CIIE.
Chinese president Xi Jinping will be welcoming visiting foreign dignitaries at a banquet dinner. One country that will not be sending any senior officials, however, is the USA, following president Trump’s grumbling over the country’s yawning trade deficit with China.
The event will combine country pavilions with company exhibitions, as well as a trade forum. Key topics at the trade forum will include the fourth industrial revolution, economic globalization and revitalizing international trade.
A statement on the CIIE website says: “relevant countries and regions will be invited to participate in CIIE to showcase their development achievements of trade and investment, including trade in goods and services, industries, investment and tourism, as well as representative products of the country or region with distinct features.”
President Xi previously spoke at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Summit of China-Africa Co-operation, where he said China would increase imports from Africa, and support African countries attending CIIE. The least developed countries will be exempted from paying exhibition stand fees.
CIIE serves an important political as well as economic purpose, as China seeks to shore up any diplomatic and financial setbacks from its trade fallout with the US. For many other countries, the CIIE will be a chance to win some lucrative Chinese business.
To read a recent EW feature about why trade wars are dangerous for the exhibitions industry, click here.
