US companies invited to attend 2nd import expo next year

NEW YORK - China welcomes US businesses to showcase and promote their products at the second China International Import Expo (CIIE) next year, said a delegation from Shanghai on Tuesday.

During a roadshow of the second CIIE held in Midtown Manhattan, the delegation led by Sun Chenghai, deputy director of the CIIE bureau, extended warm welcome and handed out invitations to some 100 business representatives for the event scheduled for November 2019 in Shanghai.

On the general outcome of the first CIIE concluded last month, Sun said some 174 US companies took part in the event, making the United States the third largest participant among over 170 countries, regions and international organizations.

Honeywell, a US-based conglomerate providing a wide range of commercial goods and engineering services, was cited by Sun as a successful example as it harvested 18 contracts worth several hundred million US dollars during the six-day event.

The roadshow also made some updates about the second CIIE, which will expand its exhibition area with an outdoor showroom for heavy machinery. A string of US companies such as Tesla, GE and Johnson&Johnson, have already signed up, according to the delegation.

Chinese Consul-General in New York Huang Ping said that despite some tensions over economic and trade issues between the world's two largest economies, the roadshow has shown "China genuinely is and wants to be a friend with the United States, especially in terms of sharing its market, and business opportunities."

As the world's first import-themed national-level expo, the first CIIE was held in China's Shanghai from Nov 5-10 and concluded with deals worth about $58 billion.