Foreign exporters see opportunities

world’s largest emeralds have been discovered in recent years, is not the only developing country trying to grab a share of China’s import market, which is expected to exceed $30 trillion in goods and $10 trillion in services in the next 15 years.

President Xi Jinping emphasized in his keynote speech at the expo’s opening ceremony that economic globalization is an irreversible historical trend and all countries should uphold the principle of inclusive development and shared benefits in order to realize common development.

The CIIE welcomed more than 30 less-developed countries, which were given not only free booths, but also logistical assistance during the event.

Syrian exhibitors brought the damask rose, mentioned in Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130 and known for its therapeutic properties; Ethiopia offered a variety of organic spices, which have been finding their way to international kitchens thanks to infrastructure China helped to build; and Tunisia, whose olive oil industry is believed to date to Roman times, hopes to follow Spain and Italy to persuade Chinese cooks to choose it over the traditional cooking oils.

Benin’s World Trade Organization Ambassador Eloi Laourou said at the CIIE that less than 3 percent of the 450,000 tons of cotton the country produced last year was processed there, reducing the profit. So Benin hopes not only to ship more cotton to China, but also bring more technology and capital from China back home.