EXPO. The National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, China is the venue of the 3rd China International Import Expo happening on November 5 to 10, 2020. The Department of Trade and Industry said it is looking for Filipino exporters who can offer “healthy and natural” products in the expo. (Screengrab from Department of Trade and Industry online presentation)
MANILA – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is looking for Filipino exporters who can offer “healthy and natural” products in the country’s participation in this year’s China International Import Expo (CIIE).
The CIIE is the first buying expo for the Chinese market from foreign enterprises. No Chinese manufacturers can participate in the CIIE.
The DTI targets “40 Philippine food products and fresh produce exporters that offer ‘healthy and natural’ products” to participate in the 3rd CIIE from November 5 to 10.
The products of the Filipino exporters will be exhibited in the 108-square-meter Philippine pavilion at the Food and Agricultural Products Hall of the expo.
“There will be a designated area for display of the exhibitors’ products and an interactive area composed of pods: individual structures where buyers can meet online with the exhibitors in the Philippines,” said a DTI document.
It added that there would be online business-to-business meetings for the Philippine exhibitors and potential Chinese buyers before and during the CIIE.
The DTI said there would still be on-site representatives in the expo that would be led by officials of the Philippine Trade and Investment Centers (PTIC) in China.
“In view of the safety and health precautionary measures, no Philippine exhibitor representatives shall be present physically,” it said.
Interested exhibitors may contact Eva Marie Mariquina, project manager at the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), through emmariquina@citem.com.ph.
Exhibitors will be provided with some subsidies for onward shipment (Manila to Shanghai) of their products, the department said.
Largest consumer market
Filipino exporters have big opportunities in China since it is the world’s largest consumer market, with 400 million of its population belonging to the affluent, the DTI said.
China has a population of 1.4 billion and its middle-income population is the biggest in the world.
In last year’s CIIE, Chinese President Xi Jinping said China would import more and continue to cut tariffs and institutional transaction costs. (PNA)
