China will hold the first ChinaInternational Consumer Products Expo, or CICPE, in Haikou, the capital ofHainan province, from May 7 to 10, said government officials.

The event is seen as an importantinitiative to better meet people's needs and a significant platform to foster anew development paradigm. As an important task in the development of the HainanFree Trade Port, the event will be co-hosted by the Ministry of Commerce andHainan's provincial government.

The upcoming consumer products expo,together with the China Import and Export Fair and the China InternationalImport Expo signal the nation's steady economic recovery and long-term upwardmomentum as the pandemic has been effectively curbed and controlled in China,said Zhang Yongjun, a researcher at the Beijing-based China Center forInternational Economic Exchanges.

Hainanto host China's 1st intl consumer products expo

The first China International ConsumerProducts Expo will provide an opportunity for the display and sale of globalconsumer goods in the Chinese market and boost the sales of both domestic andforeign companies across the world, government officials said on March 24.

The expo will have a total exhibition areaof 80,000 square meters and feature fashion, jewelry, food and supplements,hospitality and professional services. It is expected to be the largestconsumer products exposition in the Asia-Pacific region, according toorganizers.

Switzerland will be the guest of honor atthe first CICPE. The exhibition invitation work for the expo has ended. With atotal exhibition area of 80,000 square meters, it is expected to be the largestquality exhibition in the Asia-Pacific region, according to informationreleased by its organizers.

"It will be an important initiative tobetter meet people's needs in their lives and an important platform forfostering a new development paradigm," said Wang Bingnan, vice-minister ofcommerce.

China, considered the world's mostpromising consumer market, will remain committed to its basic national policyof opening-up and will hold events such as the expo in Haikou, which willbecome platforms for international exchanges and cooperation, he said.

Authorities say the new consumer expo inHainan Province is all part of strengthening the development of the Hainan FreeTrade Port, and opening up to the world.

The convening of the consumer products expois an important move following the instruction of Xi Jinping, general secretaryof the Communist Party of China Central Committee, to facilitate comprehensivereform and opening-up in Hainan, said Shen Danyang, executive vice-governor ofHainan.

The event will be the first internationalexpo in the province since China released a master plan in June to build Hainaninto a globally influential, high-level free trade port by the middle of thecentury.

Shen said the expo will focus on"high-tech, new, high-quality and featured" consumer products. Itwill strive to become a top expo in China in terms of international influence,the value of exhibits per unit area and the number of first launches andexhibitions.

The expo provides an opportunity for thedisplay and transactions of quality global consumer products in the Chinesemarket, and also creates business opportunities for Chinese and foreign playersfor global sales, he added.

This event will be the first internationalexpo in the tropical province since China released a master plan last June tobuild the whole of Hainan Island into a globally influential, high-level freetrade port by the middle of the century.

In addition to the opening ceremony, thethemed forum, and the exhibition-opening ceremony for guest countries, thefirst Consumer Expo will carry out a series of market-oriented supportingactivities, such as product display and procurement, and strive to become thelanding space for new products.

The relevant application information andother procedures for supporting activities are currently available on theofficial website. And the expo working committee is currently busy attractinginvestment and signing contracts.

Over1,000 int'l brands to participate in the expo

The expo's international exhibition areacovers 60,000 square meters, accounting for 75 percent of the total venue area.It is divided into five exhibition zones: fashion life, jewelry, food andsupplements, lifestyle and outdoors, and hospitality and professional services.

 Inthe jewelry exhibition area, nearly 200 companies from Italy, Belgium andFrance, among other countries, have confirmed their attendance. Moreover, morethan 150 high-end food and health products companies from countries such as Spain,Thailand and France will also participate.

A total of 630 overseas exhibitors and1,165 global brands from 69 countries signed up for the gathering, withSwitzerland serving as the guest country of honor.

Well-known brands, including Swatch fromSwitzerland, Swarovski from Austria, Panasonic and Shiseido from Japan, andDell, Tesla and Coach from the United States, have confirmed theirparticipation.

The domestic exhibition area is 20,000square meters large, with over 800 domestic participants and some 1,000exhibiting brands so far, such as Huawei Technologies Co, Oppo and Vivo.

Exhibitors including LVHM Group, RichemontGroup, Jaguar Land Rover, Burberry, Shiseido, Omron, Tapestry Group, Johnson& Johnson, Dell and Tesla will participate in the event in May.

Yann Bozec, president of Asia Pacific atTapestry Group, said brands including Coach and Kate Spade will showcase theirlatest collections and deliver a seamless and digital"store-to-booth" experience in the company's 300-square-meter spaceat the expo.

"China is a vital driving force forglobal development and prosperity," Bozec said. Its great potential andthe passion of its consumer market inspires global brands to keep innovatingand investing in the country, he added.

Mark Edwards, general manager for Chinaoperations at Diageo, a London-headquartered spirits producer, said the Chinesemarket offers a significant consumer and commercial opportunity for thecompany. It will showcase its products, from Scotch to liquor, at its booth.

"We see this as an excitingopportunity to build awareness among Chinese consumers of our brands and buildupon the growing interest in the international spirits category acrossChina," he added.

Over 800 Chinese-registered companies arecurrently expected at the expo's domestic exhibition area, including some ofthe nation's top-tier businesses. And more than 1,000 brands from nearly 70countries and regions have also signed up for the event.

Authorities believe it will provide a shotin the arm to meet consumer demand, as China pushes ahead on its path totransform its economy into a consumption based one. It also promises a platformfor international exchange and cooperation.

New business models such as cross-bordere-commerce and live-streaming will be on full display at the first CICPE, saidZhu Xiaoliang, director of the Department of Market System Development of theMinistry of Commerce.

"Some well-known domestic e-commerceplatforms will participate as professional buyers to help overseas brandsbetter explore the Chinese market, while some international e-commerceplatforms will connect with domestic consumer products to help them acceleratethe development of overseas markets," Zhu added.

Besides the opening ceremony, theorganizers will also hold a forum on consumption innovation, duty-free shoppingand the tourism retail industry. Meanwhile, the expo's mascot named Yuanxiaowas unveiled last week, which is made up of a pair of Hainan gibbons, a rareprimate unique to the island.