Opportunities galore at Harbin fair
The 18th China Harbin International Fair for Trade and Economic Cooperation will be held at the Harbin International Conference and Exhibition Center from June 15 to 19.
A foreign businesswoman (left) tastes Heilongjiang's green food at the 15th China Harbin International Fair for Trade and Economic Cooperation in 2004. |
Sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce, National Northeast Revitalization Office, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the governments of Heilongjiang Province, Zhejiang Province and Harbin Municipality, the event is expected to provide vast opportunities to both domestic and overseas businesspeople as an ideal platform for trade and investment.
More than 10,000 overseas businesspeople and 110,000 Chinese visitors are expected to participate in the event.
With a total exhibition area of 76,000 sq m and 2,000 standard booths, the fair will consist of 12 exhibition halls and a 20,000 sq m outdoor exhibition area, covering hi-tech items, green food, electronic mechanicals, light industry, textiles and garments, home furniture and construction materials, and cultural industry, as well as Chinese Hong Kong, Macao and overseas pavilions, a Russia Hall, renowned Chinese brands, and an investment and cooperation hall.
Among them, an 870 sq m new hall with 96 stands will showcase premium Chinese brands while an expanded hall for electronic mechanicals will add an exhibition section for small vehicles and their components.
In the new exhibition and cooperation section for human and technology resources, a number of sub-sections will be set up to present more than 500 technological projects from at least 20 countries and regions, including North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, Australia, Russia, and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao.
Highlights
Compared with previous sessions, this fair will attract more business delegations from the European Union, America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
Businesspeople conduct negotiations at the Harbin fair. |
Around 200 of the Fortune 500 companies, including Wal-Mart, General Electric, Citibank and Louis Dreyfus will attend the fair.
Organizers said that the proportion of purchasers and strategic investors among the total number of participants will increase significantly.
Of the at least 18 activities to be held during the event, 11 will focus on business promotion. Though still in the preparation phase, they have attracted attention from both home and abroad.
Traditional edge
Meanwhile, the Russian Hall will remain as a traditional highlight of the Harbin Fair.
Organizers said that so far businesspeople from 11 regions and three federal districts-the Central, the Far Eastern and Siberian -have filed applications for participation in the event.
Harbin is the capital of Northeastern China's Heilongjiang Province, which borders Russia. Hence, the fair enjoys a distinct advantage in Russia-oriented trade.
Statistics show that the province's trade with Russia in the first four months of this year hit a record high of $2.19 billion.
The trade volume increased 23.2 percent year-on-year and contributed 17.6 percent of China's total trade with Russia.
While its export of electronic mechanicals and hi-tech products during the same period surged 137.62 and 654.75 percent year-on-year respectively, Heilongjiang increased the import of rubber, steel and iron from Russia.
Private companies are proving to be a dynamic force in Russia-oriented trade in the province, notching up $1.96 billion in the first four months of this year, an increase of 30.39 percent year-on-year.
Trade from the private sector accounted for 89.28 percent of the province's total trade with Russia, while the number of trade firms involved in border transactions is currently registered at 2,065.
(China Daily 06/06/2007 page20)
