Overseas exhibitors to make up 32% of participants at China's 2nd intl supply chain expo

The second China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) will take place in Beijing from November 26 to 30, announced the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) at a press conference on Monday.

Themed "Connecting the World for a Shared Future," this year's event will focus on promoting international cooperation in industrial and supply chains. It will also feature various supporting activities, such as promotional events, seminars and exchanges, and achievement releases.

The event exhibition area has been expanded to 120,000 square meters, an increase from last year's 100,000 square meters. More than 600 Chinese and foreign companies are expected to participate, marking a 20-percent rise in exhibitors compared to the previous event.

The expo will welcome guests from more than 100 countries and regions, with anticipated visitor numbers exceeding those from last year.

As the world's first supply chain-themed exhibition, the CISCE aims to connect upstream, midstream and downstream sectors, bring together large-, medium- and small-sized enterprises, coordinate industry, academia, research and practical application, and foster interaction between Chinese and international businesses.

At the opening ceremony on November 26, a Beijing initiative for stable and smooth global industrial and supply chains will be unveiled.

Economic restrictions and fair trade

In response to recent restrictive measures imposed by the U.S. and the European Union regarding China, CCPIT Vice Chairman Zhang Shaogang said at the press conference that such economic and trade restrictive measures are unilateral actions that clearly violate World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and negatively impact global industrial and supply chain cooperation.

"On behalf of the Chinese business community, the CCPIT and the China Chamber of International Commerce express firm opposition," Zhang said. He urged the U.S. and Europe to respect the laws of market economy and the principle of fair competition, calling for an immediate halt to wrong practices while taking practical actions to safeguard the multilateral trading system with the WTO as the core, and resolving disputes and conflicts through consultation and dialogue to achieve mutual benefit, promoting global economic development.

Zhang stressed that this is the common voice of the global business community. Representatives from the Chinese and the U.S. business communities promoted a joint China-U.S. proposal related to Asia-Pacific supply chain cooperation principles at the recent third meeting of the APEC Business Advisory Council for 2024, which advocates open collaboration, non-discrimination and compliance with WTO rules.

Zhang said the CCPIT recently conducted a survey on more than 400 key foreign-invested enterprises, revealing that 64.9 percent and 66.6 percent of respondents felt that foreign investment-related policies introduced by China's central and local governments have been supportive, respectively. They expressed confidence in the country's commitment to high-level opening-up.

He also noted that the proportion of overseas exhibitors reached 32 percent in this year's CISCE, surpassing last year, with American companies leading the way and the number of European and Japanese enterprises also significantly exceeding that of the inaugural event.

"This indicates that foreign investment remains optimistic about the Chinese market, reaffirming China's status as a preferred partner for supply chain cooperation in global resource allocation," said Zhang.

(Cover via CFP)