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Commercial Counsellor Addresses the CIIE Promotion Conference
Your Excellency Mr. Terens-Nikolaos Quick, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Your Excellency Mr. Stergios Pitsiorlas, Deputy Minister of Economy & Development
Your Excellency Mr. E. Athanasiou, CEO of Enterprise Greece.
Distinguished Guest, Ladies and Gentlemen,
First of all, I would like to express our warm welcome and sincere thanks to every one of you.
China and Greece are both old civilizations with glorious history. Our bilateral relation has witnessed remarkable achievements in trade, investment, culture and also people to people exchange. The Piraeus Port project provides a good start for deeper cooperation between China and Greece. In the wake of such a successful project, project investment between the two countries has yielded fruitful results. Many projects, including the State Grid project, have been completed, in addition to a number of others underway.
Ladies and Gentlemen, today we are here, I would like to introduce the background, significance highlights, preparations of China International Import Expo.
In May 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced on the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation that China will host China International Import Expo from 2018. In order to implement this important decision of President Xi Jinping, the Chinese government decided that the first China International Import Expo will be held in Shanghai from November 5th to November 10thin 2018.
CIIE is the first national expo in the world which focuses on imports. It marks a great beginning in the history of international trade and also advocates the extant world trade sector. CIIE is a major political event for the Chinese government, as it adheres to the fundamental national policy of opening-up, and promotes a new round of high-level opening-up. It also serves as a powerful expression of the Belt and Road Initiative.
With the world’s largest population, China is the second largest economy, as well as the second largest importer and consumer in the world. At present, the Chinese economy has shifted from the stage of high-speed growth to that of high quality development. Hence, high quality, customized products and services are in greater demand. In the coming five years, China will import products and services with a value over $10 trillion. China welcomes countries all over the world to board the train of China’s development either for a fast ride or for a free ride. Products and services with strengths, characteristics and competitiveness are welcomed to enter China’s vast market with a population of 1.3 billion. It is our sincere hope that, through China International Import Expo, we can create an open platform for international cooperation where all countries may present their national images, develop trade and open up the markets, further advance economic globalization and build an open world economy so as to generate favorable conditions to build a community of shared future for mankind.
Our goal is to build CIIE into an open cooperative platform for countries around the world to demonstrate their development and facilitate international trade. We also plan to transform CIIE into an international public product for advancing the Belt and Road Initiative as well as economic globalization. We will also host the Hongqiao International Trade Forum during CIIE, to seek the world’s economic development and discuss mutually beneficial and win-win actions with associated economies and international organizations. The total exhibition area is over 240,000 ㎡. It is expected that hundreds of government ministers and high leaders from different countries and thousands of enterprises, including those among the Fortune Global 500, will attend the first CIIE. The CIIE will attract a great number of government representatives, renowned enterprises and globally leading products. It is a rare opportunity for enterprises all over the world to demonstrate their images and enhance their influences.
The first CIIE will invite purchasers to do business through such ways as global invitation, government delegations, industry connection and social participation. Provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions across China will establish local purchasing delegations involving major enterprises and institutions to attend the CIIE. The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council will establish a purchasing delegation made up of central enterprises to lead central enterprises, their subordinate enterprises and institutions to attend the expo. Major Chambers of Commerce and associations in relevant areas will organize important enterprises within the industry to attend the expo. Meanwhile, the CIIE will send out invitations to purchasers around the world. In addition, other enterprises and institutions will attend the expo, including domestically comprehensive import merchants, chain enterprises, various trade centers and markets, dealers and agencies, e-commerce enterprises, manufacturing enterprises and service providers as well as relevant enterprises and institutions in areas such as medical service, education, scientific research, culture and tourism. It’s estimated that more than 150,000 domestic and foreign purchasers will participate in the expo. In the meantime, in order to send out more targeted invitations to purchasers, we will accurately invite domestic and overseas merchants to attend the expo according to exhibits and requirements of exhibitors of domestic and foreign exhibitions.
We have currently sent out invitations to more than 200 trade partners worldwide, and we have received positive feedbacks. The governments of many nations have proactively participated and devoted a considerable amount of attention to the reparations.
So far, more than 1500 overseas enterprises from over 180 countries and regions have confirmed their attendance, including nearly one hundred Fortune Global 500 enterprises and leading enterprises of various industries. The exhibition area was 20 percent more than expected.
All preparations will serve to constantly enhance and enlarge the value of the first CIIE. In addition, related work like investment promotion and forum organization is smoothly progressing.
The CIIE will be jointly hosted by The Ministry of Commerce of the PRC and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, supported by international organizations as the WTO, UNCTAD and UNIDO and organized by CIIE Bureau and National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
Comprehensive National Trade and Investment Exhibition and Enterprise& Business Exhibition will be held at the first China International Import Expo. On the exhibition, relevant countries will
demonstrate their developments in trade investment, including goods trade, service trade, industrial conditions, investment and tourism. It is only for demonstration rather than for making deals. The Enterprise& Business Exhibition consists of two parts as goods trade exhibition and service trade exhibition. Goods trade exhibition includes intelligent and high-end equipment, consumer electronics, household appliances, clothing, consumer goods, automobiles, food and farm products, medical equipment and instruments, medicine and health care. Service trade exhibition includes new technologies, service outsourcing, innovative design, culture, education, and tourism services, etc. Through this platform, countries can sell their goods to China or vice versa.
During the first China International Import Expo, we will also hold Hongqiao International Trade Forum. This forum will invite leaders and ministers of participating countries, principals of international organizations, well-known companies from both home and abroad and large MNCs to attend and exchange ideas on “stimulating the new vitality of global trade and jointly creating a new landscape of open and win-win cooperation”. This forum, with an opening ceremony and three parallel forums, will focus on such topics as "trade and opening", "trade and innovation", and "trade and investment", and mainly discuss on, inter alia, promoting trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, constructing an open world economy, boosting innovative growth of trade and accelerating sustainable development of trade and investment. In addition, the WTO, UNIDO and other related international organizations will be invited as cooperators to offer intellectual and technical support.
I believe that the positive support and extensive participation of all engaged parties both within China and abroad will ensure that the first CIIE will be a world-class expo, and provide a new better platform for all exhibitors to explore the Chinese market and expand international development, thereby helping to promote global trade, world economic linkagegrowth and achieving mutual benefit, development and shared prosperity. I hope that all may attend the expo and showcase the strength of your company and industry with displays of your leading products, technologies and services. I also wish that all will actively promote the CIIE to partners, inviting them to attend the event.
The CIIE is waiting for enterprises worldwide to get a head start. China, a huge market of 1.3 billion people, welcomes each and every one of you.
Thank you !
