Prep underway for China International Fair for Investment and Trade

Attendees from over 100 countries and regions are expected to join the China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) 2019, a key international investment and business matchmaking event, with a focus on business related to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), organizers said Thursday.

CIFIT, an annual event in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province first held 1997, is increasingly recognized in the international business community as an important platform for promoting bilateral investment, discussing investment trends, and releasing Chinese investment policies and information.

The event helps serves the implementation of BRI, inviting South Africa, Italy, the Czech Republic and other countries taking part in the initiative as host countries, and organizing exhibitions, forums and matchmaking activities to promote multilateral cooperation.

This year's CIFIT, to be held Sept 8-11, will continue to highlight BRI.

The Silk Road Trade Pavilion, one of the three pavilions with a total area of 130,000 square meters, will display products and services from countries and regions involved in the initiative, said Zhang Shanshan, an official from the Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Convention and Exhibition Affairs, a CIFIT organizer, at a promotional event in Beijing. .

It will also hold an e-commerce trading fair for agricultural products from BRI regions, and multiple forums on BRI cooperation in equipment manufacturing, information and infrastructural industries, as well as the construction of international parks and smart cities.

According to the bureau, the other two major pavilions will showcase the advantages of investing in different Chinese and overseas regions, as well as cover industries such as industrial internet, real estate, tea, wine, big health, art, and green industry.

Key policies and reports will be released, including foreign investment in China, China's outward investment, foreign labor cooperation, e-commerce and green development.

Every year, the event attracts more than 100,000 attendees from about 100 countries and regions, including Fortune Global 500 companies, multinational enterprises, investment promotion agencies, government representatives, and journalists, according to the bureau.

In 2018, 1,982 deals were signed at the event, with a total investment of up to 527.5 billion yuan($77.4 billion).

Xinhua contributed to this story.