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SME fair has growing scale and influence

By Liang Qiwen (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-20 09:56

The fifth China International Small and Medium Enterprises Fair (CISMEF) will begin on Monday and last to Thursday at an unprecedented scale.

With an exhibition area of 120,000 sq m and 6,000 standard booths, the fifth CISMEF has 13 sections.

Industry sections include electronics and IT products, household electrical appliances, machinery and equipment, textiles and garments, footwear, headgear, cases and bags, toys and crafts, food and medicine, furniture and lighting, and ceramics and building materials.

Two sections are set aside for service industries such as finance, telecommunications, logistics and retailing.

Overseas exhibition sections include those for South Korea, Asia and Europe, as well as the Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao regions.

About 100,000 visitors from home and abroad have signed up to participate in the fair, 10,000 of whom are from overseas.

About 78,000 companies will also be present in the fair, including Wal-Mart, Glanz, and Gree.

"The South Korean government attaches great importance to the fifth CISMEF and they will co-sponsor the fair," said Lin Ying, secretary-general of the organizing committee.

Some 250 enterprises covering nine industries from South Korea have confirmed their participation in the fair.

A total of 550 South Korean booths will cover more than 10,000 sq m.

"The South Korean delegation will bring more than 5,000 buyers to attend the fair," Lin said. "I believe a lot of match-making events between Chinese and South Korean businessmen will take place."

The opening ceremony of the fifth CISMEF will be held in Guangzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center in the morning of September 22, and a summit for Chinese and South Korean small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will be held in that afternoon in Guangzhou's Dongfang Hotel.

Lin said many high-level government officials from China and South Korea will give speeches in the two events and exchange ideas about accelerating trade cooperation between the two countries.

Support from South Korea has been enormous, Lin said. Lee Ping Kuen, a supervisor in the South Korean Small and Medium Enterprise Administration, led a 13-member group to Guangzhou in April this year help prepare for the fair. He was assisted by the South Korean Consulate in Guangzhou.

During their stay in Guangzhou, members of the delegation inspected the convention center and had meetings with the CISMEF organizing committee about co-sponsoring the fifth CISMEF.

According to organizing committee's statistics, there will be 41 events during the fair, preparation for which is finished.

Besides the South Korean delegation, delegations from more than 50 countries and regions will participate in the fair, a record for the annual event.

The number of foreign participants will also exceed those of the past four fairs, Lin said.

"It means the influence of CISMEF has expanded globally," he said.

According to a decision reached at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) last year, the fifth CISMEF will have an Asia-Europe SMEs Cooperation Hall.

Many enterprises from ASEM member countries and regions will attend the fair.

"With so many international exhibitors present, the fair will be an international event in the real sense," Lin said.