Import fair seen as boost for U.S. businesses

The China International Import Expo provides tremendous opportunities for U.S. businesses to learn about the Chinese market and improve existing trade ties with China, Californian officials and trade experts say.

More than 80 participants, including Chinese and U.S. officials, diplomats, businesses and think tank leaders, attended an event on Oct 13 hosted by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce to discuss trade exchanges at the expo, which will be held from Nov 5 to 10 this year.

California has taken part in the expo since it was first held in 2018, said Erin Bromaghim, deputy mayor of international affairs for Los Angeles, and the city looks forward to hosting a pavilion at the trade fair again this year.

“I think it’s a tremendous opportunity for businesses throughout the region to learn more about the market and to really start to build and extend the ties that we already have between our two communities.”

Shanghai and Los Angeles are both “huge centers of population and economies”, Bromaghim said, and the two cities have enjoyed collaboration in sectors including bioscience, entertainment, media exchanges and particularly on sustainability and building a green economy.

She cited a partnership announced by Los Angeles and Shanghai in January that aims to create a green shipping corridor to reduce emissions along one of the world’s busiest container shipping routes.

China’s decision to pursue high-level opening-up and widen market access to the rest of the world is important, said China’s Consul General in Los Angeles, Zhang Ping.

“It demonstrates China’s commitment to advancing an open world economy and building a community with a shared future for mankind. It is a concrete action to support the multilateral trading system and economic globalization,” Zhang said.