Costa Rican firm going after Chinese market

A family-run company in Costa Rica is ready to take the opportunities provided by the China International Import Expo to enter the market in China, where the owner's ancestors came from.

"I can see a lot potential in China. If we jump into this market, I'm pretty sure that in the first year we can easily double our sales－20,000 tons of products per year," said Dennis Wong, founder of a company that produces and exports frozen fruit. He added that China has become one of the most important markets in the world.

China is a new market for Wong's company, and he said he is eager for China and Costa Rica to soon sign an agreement on imports such as products.

"I hope the CIIE can help to reduce the time it takes to make any agreement," he said. "Usually it takes a longer time. But with the Chinese government opening the market and being really eager to buy from around the world, I can feel the governments are accelerating the process. Hopefully, by the middle of next year, we can be ready to ship to China."

President Xi Jinping said during the opening ceremony of the CIIE that China will continue to broaden market access and the country's imports of goods and services are expected to exceed $30 trillion and $10 trillion, respectively, in the coming 15 years.

Wong said his company plans to launch a product designed for Chinese consumers. "There were so many Chinese customers coming to ask about the product. People are eager to import such a product and technology to extend their product line."

"For example, sending fresh pineapples from Costa Rica to Shanghai takes around 32 days, and their lifetime lasts only about 35 days," he said. "But our product's shelf life can last three to five years, and they still taste like fresh ones."

Wong, the son of a Chinese father and Costa Rican mother, cannot speak Chinese, but he wants his grandchildren to learn.

"Children in Costa Rica are now taught Chinese in school," he said. "Most people around the world would like to speak Chinese, because China has become one of the most important markets in the world, and we need to communicate with each other."