CIIE opens doors for foreign firms to make contacts in China and beyond

The ongoing China International Import Expo held in Shanghai is providing an open stage for the Global South economies to showcase their specialty products and connect with business opportunities in the Chinese market and beyond.

The inclusiveness of the CIIE, which will run through Sunday, can be witnessed through a slew of practical actions this year. They include a sub-forum circling around the sustainable development of Global South and China-Africa cooperation, capacity expansion of the exhibition area for products from Africa, and free booths and other support provided to the least developed countries.

For Bilel ben Hamida, executive director of Connect International, a non-governmental organization in Tunisia that helps local businesses seek market opportunities overseas, it is his second time to lead a delegation to participate in the CIIE this year after debut last year.

"We come back as the CIIE brought practical benefits for us. We made contacts with not only Chinese but also with people from other countries during last year's CIIE," said Hamida.

"Moreover, the CIIE connected us with local Chinese distributors so that our exhibits at last year's CIIE, including olive oil and natural dates, have already turned into commodities sold in the country," he said.

A variety of spicy sauce products are making debut at the booth of Tunisia this year. "Many local distributors have shown interest in such products, and we look forward to introducing them into the local market soon," said Hamida.

At the booth of Rwanda, which is participating in the CIIE for the third time, visitors are lining up to have a sip of coffee offered by Rwanda Farmers Coffee Company, which is making its debut at this year's CIIE.