CIIE 'matchmaking' sessions are a success

The third China International Import Expo has organized a swath of online and offline matchmaking sessions for exhibitors and buyers resulting in 861 letters of intent for cooperation.

Hundreds of new products, technologies and services made their global debuts, Asian  premieres and Chinese launches at this year's expo. Global premieres accounted for more than half the number.

Among the exhibitors from various countries, Japan had the largest number of exhibitors while companies from the United States covered the largest total exhibition area.

"Enterprises from all over the world actively participated in the expo," said Kong Fu'an, deputy director of the China International Import Expo Bureau. 

"Some of them travelled thousands of miles, and some overcame the impact of the epidemic with a quarantine for many days. This fully demonstrates that enterprises from around the world fully recognized the important role of the CIIE platform, and are optimistic about the huge potential of the Chinese market."

Countries including Italy, Portugal, Pakistan, Fiji and Hungary showcased their local culture and investment opportunities in the form of pictures and videos through the official website of CIIE, also attracting the attention of a large number of netizens at home and abroad.

In terms of signed agreements, the bureau has organized large-scale trade matchmaking sessions and 10 investment promotion meetings, with 673 exhibitors from 64 countries and 1,351 buyers attending. A total of 861 agreements to build cooperation were signed. 

As of November 7, the bureau had offered 76 slots of signing services for various trading groups, 27 for local trading groups, 48 for central enterprise trading groups and one for the National Health and Wellness Commission trading group. 

Six trade negotiation areas were set up in the exhibition hall, providing business facilities and relatively independent spaces to facilitate negotiation and enhance the effectiveness of matchmaking between exhibitors and buyers.

The expo has also set up a special zone for the launch of new products and services, with exhibits of 42 enterprises making their debuts. Six are consumer goods enterprises, 10 in the health-care area, six on trade in services, 11 from the intelligent industry and information technology section, and nine food exhibitors.

As for supporting activities, by November 7, the expo had held 82 events of six major types including policy interpretations, matchmaking signing, investment promotion, and research briefings.

There were also high-end international forums organized by influential international organizations such as UNIDO, ITC, WIPO; policy interpretation and research release activities organized individually or jointly by the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, People's Bank of China, State Administration of Market Supervision and Administration, and State Drug Administration.

In addition, more than ten provinces, autonomous regions and cities including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Guizhou, Jiangxi, Yunnan, Gansu and Dalian have held various activities including procurement fairs, on-site signing activities, economic and trade forums, business environment promotion meetings and industrial investment matchmaking conferences.

"These together have given full play to the positive role of supporting activities in promoting exhibition transactions, two-way investment, industrial cooperation and cultural exchanges," Kong said.