(Yicai) Nov. 7 -- Trade organizations from Japan, South Korea, and Singapore have brought a record number of companies to the sixth China International Import Expo in Shanghai. 

The Japan External Trade Organization led more than 150 firms to the annual CIIE this year, showcasing more than 650 categories of goods and nearly 200 types of wine for tasting in the food and farm produce exhibition space, Xu Xiaolei, CIIE project director at JETRO Shanghai, told Yicai. 

JETRO also partnered with the Japan National Tourism Organization and 11 local governments for the first time to promote tourism, bringing outdoor products, including for camping, winter, and pets, to the consumer goods exhibition to meet China’s growing appetite, Xu added.

The Singapore Business Federation brought more than 500 senior representatives from 56 Singaporean companies to the CIIE, the most since 2020. 

The Korea International Trade Association organized 93 firms to participate in the event, nearly 40 more than last year, an employee at the association said. It has set up Content Department Stores to showcase skin care, showerheads, juicers, and other products, the person noted.

The three trade groups have been bringing businesses to the CIIE since the trade fair started in 2018. Xu said JETRO introduces many new companies every year because it is optimistic about the development, consumption capacity, and prospects of the Chinese market, with some opening physical stores after attending the exhibition and others starting online sales.

To help Japanese firms find partners at the CIIE, JETRO launched Japan Business Pavilion last November. The business matching WeChat mini-program has nearly 700 categories of goods and more than 1,000 registered Chinese buyers.

Singaporean firms have penned 13 memorandums of understanding in the fields of cross-border data flow, trade interconnectivity, education, food technology, healthcare, sustainable urban development, and supply chain logistics worth over SGD87 million (USD64.3 million), according to the SBF. More agreements will come over the next few days at the CIIE, it added.

“The MOUs highlight the dedication by businesses from both countries to the promotion of trade liberalization, innovation, and sustainable growth,” SBF Chief Executive Kok Ping Soon said. “Looking ahead, with a stable foundation laid out in policies and emphasis on sustainability and digital innovation, we are well-positioned to navigate the uncertainties in the global economy together.”

The trade groups are also actively embracing new ways of marketing. JETRO invites Japanese online celebrities who are popular in China to publicize its exhibition at the CIIE, including Takeuchi Ryo in 2021 and Yamashita Tomohiro this year. KITA has set up a livestreaming team to broadcast on a big screen in its pavilion so that more people can see the products available.

Nearly 70 overseas exhibition organizers have brought more than 1,500 small and medium-sized enterprises to the CIIE this year, up 40 percent from a year earlier, covering an area of over 46,000 square meters, according to China International Import Expo Bureau. More than 100 organizers have led over 7,000 firms to the expo since 2018.

Editor: Martin Kadiev