China has hosted what organisers claim is the first major tradefair to take place in the country following the Covid-19 pandemic.
On 3 April, the 2020 Haining Export Commodities Exhibition and Fair was held at the Haining Convention and Exhibition Center in Zhejiang Province on the south side of the Yangtze River Delta.
China has also reported a first day (6 April), since the Covid-19 outbreak started, without any deaths due to the disease.
Organisers of the Haining tradefair put a video on YouTube and Twitter of their event, with exhibitors and visitors wearing face masks, and said: “The epidemic will eventually pass and development will come. We strive to link economic recovery and market prosperity, and build a new bridge between Haining’s goods and the local consumer market. This will not only open up imported goods in the local market, popularise consumers’ awareness of local quality brands, but also showcase Haining’s foreign trade".
During an UFI Connects webinar from Asia recently it was revealed that Shenyang exhibition centre in China had also received permission from local authorities to run exhibitions again, although it is thought the authorities were being cautious to ensure the format works first for the national market before inviting any foreign participation. That is something that, in any case, is still problematic given the foreign travel and access controls still in place in China.
