Second import expo set to attract more global tech giants

The second China International Import Expo (CIIE) is going to have more global technology giants, with several participants saying they want to expand their exhibition's scale at the event, organizers in Shenzhen said on Monday.

"We will bring in more augmented reality and virtual reality gadgets, smart hardware for elderly care, automobiles, industrial machines and the latest products and technologies in the world," said Liu Fuxue, deputy director of the CIIE Bureau.

He said the Enterprise and Business Exhibition area will be expanded to 300,000 square meters this year and new outdoor exhibition zones of autonomous driving vehicles and large-scale mechanical devices will also be set up.

The former exhibition zone of consumer electronics and household appliances, which secured more than $4 billion in intended procurement in 2018, will be transformed to the new Sci-tech Life Hall.

Lu Peng from the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), which is also the venue of the CIIE, said the new zone is expected to be more popular as about 10 companies on the Fortune Global 500 list have signed to join, including Microsoft Corp, Google and Facebook. The number of companies is higher than in the previous year's conference.

He said 5G technology is one of the new hall's highlights this year as China has officially rolled out commercial 5G licenses to the nation's three major telecom carriers earlier this month.

International 5G technology providers such as Qualcomm Inc and Samsung which brought their latest products and solutions last year will continue this year to demonstrate new applications in multiple industries, Lu added.

Panasonic Corp's exhibition area will be expanded to about 1,000 square meters with a theme of having a healthy life. Ricoh will display its latest biological 3D printing technology.

The second CIIE has also attracted several new participants which are global industry leaders, including Fujioh, which will present its award-winning household appliances. The company is a Fuji subsidiary that accounts for about 60 percent of cooker hoods sold in Japan.

The CIIE Bureau on Monday held a road show in Shenzhen, making the high-tech hub its first stop of promotion in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Last year, more than 2,600 companies in Shenzhen registered in the expo as buyers, with a total intentional procurement as high as $2.9 billion, according to Gao Lin, inspector of the city's commerce bureau.

He said the bureau is preparing a list of recommended buyers for the CIIE to invite, focusing on qualified private companies, small and medium-sized enterprises, and foreign firms.

To satisfy buyers' demands, the CIIE will launch an online platform where buyers can publish their needs so exhibitors can prepare accordingly.

The Expo will be held in November in Shanghai and the buyer registration system will be open until the end of September.