City puts its best foot forward for expo

Shanghai will teem with business during inaugural imports event that will attract 2,800 companies from dozens of countries. Lin Shujuan reports

The first China International Import Expo is less than a couple of weeks away, and Shanghai, the host city, has been putting the final touches to its preparations as products from all over the world have descended on the city.

The expo, designed to be a world-class event on par with the world’s leading exhibitions, combines country exhibitions, company exhibitions and forums to promote free trade and an open global economy.

The event, to be held at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre from Nov 5 to 10, was announced last year by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who called it “an important policy statement and action demonstrating China’s embrace of greater openness”.

The China International Import Expo Bureau said 2,800 companies would take part in the expo. About 160,000 buyers from more than 80,000 Chinese and foreign companies have also signed up for the event.

In addition, 81 countries and three international organisations have confirmed they will take part in the national exhibition, the bureau said.

As the event draws near, goods from foreign exhibitors have been arriving at local customs. Shanghai has opened green channels for the products, significantly cutting the time needed for them to be unloaded and stored in local warehouses.

At the beginning of October it was estimated that products from more than 1,500 exhibitors had arrived in the country, and that those from another 1,000 were on their way.

Gao Rongkun, director of Shanghai Customs, said that the customs department has drawn on the expertise of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2010 Shanghai Expo to design measures for next month’s event, such as offering a one-stop service for exhibit registration, clearance and supervision, and reconciliation.

Several other measures were made public in June, including the expansion of categories of imported exhibits for agricultural and livestock products, and the simplification of export and disposal procedures for exhibits after the expo.

Fang Hui, general manager of the operation department of the National Exhibition and Convention Centre, said a temporary customs inspection area will be set up in the northern plaza of the centre for late arrivals or highly valuable exhibits unsuitable for inspection at ports.

Chinese companies have been eyeing the potential in boosting imports.

“During the expo, we expect to import at least 1,000 kinds of products and services that have not been available in the local market,” said Wang Zhe, Party head of China’s retail company Suning Holdings Group.

“Over the next three years we plan to import goods worth 10 billion euros ($11.5 billion).”

Liang Feng, president of China National Machine Tool Sales and Technical Service Corporation, said that at the expo, eight leading companies in the machine tool industry would launch a dozen new products in China.

More than 100 new products and technologies are expected to make their debut at the expo, the organisers said.

Forty-three African countries have confirmed that they will take part in the expo, and about 190 companies from the continent will promote local products such as Egyptian date palm, Ethiopian coffee and Amarula from South Africa, the organisers said.

“The expo shows China’s changing trade strategy and its resolve to fulfil its responsibility as a major country and achieve mutual benefits and win-win co-operation with all nations,” said Zhao Beiwen, deputy head of the World Economy Institute that is part of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

Shanghai has been holding rehearsals, improving city infrastructure and training volunteers for the event. A comprehensive rehearsal was held at the expo venue on October 4.

Realising that the exhibition’s six days would be insufficient for exhibitors and buyers from all over the world to learn and take advantage of business opportunities in China, Shanghai’s commerce commission has set up exhibition and transaction platforms that would be available all year round.

These platforms are aimed at providing a channel for foreign products, services and technology to enter the Chinese market.

The municipality has also set up a one-stop, year-round platform that will feature import exhibits, including those from the six-day expo.