China hopes expo to lift soft power

CHINA hopes to boost its soft power to enhance its influence globally by hosting an Exposition on China Indigenous Brand yesterday that seeks to share Chinese brands with the world.

The expo, which will feature an International Forum on China Brand Development, is designed to help domestic companies build influential brands to enhance the country’s overall competitiveness, as well as help transition toward a consumption-driven economy from one relying on investments.

Around 800 to 1,000 guests from home and abroad will exchange views and share ideas on the global sharing of Chinese brands at the forum.

China aims to use the three-day expo, which ends on Saturday, to build up its soft power to enhance its influence internationally by having well-admired and recognized brands.

The expo, hosted by the National Development and Reform Commission jointly with the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Commerce, is the first of its kind after the State Council last year designated a Chinese Brands Day to be held on May 10 each year.

Five sections, Shanghai services, Shanghai manufacturing, Shanghai shopping, Shanghai culture and Shanghai innovation, will feature the history and current situation of Shanghai-origin brands as the city hosts the first China Brand Day. China’s Huawei, Lenovo, Haier, Gree, and Tsingtao Beer have been gaining increasing global influence in recent years. They are beefing up their distribution channels globally to increase the footprint and influence of Chinese products worldwide.

A dozen state-owned enterprises and exhibition groups from over 30 cities and provinces will present their latest developments in brand building.