Buyers and professionals can now register online for the third annual China International Import Expo. The event is set for November and is going ahead despite the global economy getting dragged into recession due to COVID-19. Ahead of the CIIE,  CGTN's Stefan De Vries talked to the Asia-based head of the Standard Bank Group. 

STEFAN DE VRIES Paris "Now this year will be quite different. It comes at the moment where the world is facing a crisis due to the coronavirus outbreak. Do you think this year's CIIE will be different?"

FRANÇOIS GAMET Head of Asia, Standard Bank Group "It will definitely be different. It will help more African markets grow as exporting economies in other words they're gonna send products and services to China, which is a massive opportunity for them. It makes their businesses in Africa more solid, more sustainable, financially speaking. That is even more important in 2020 than it was in 2019 and in 2018, where the global economy looked better. Now we face more economic uncertainty."

STEFAN DE VRIES Paris "What benefits have companies, especially from African countries, where you're strong gained from the previous two expos?"

FRANÇOIS GAMET Head of Asia, Standard Bank Group "For them, it's an opportunity to expose their brand. The second part is related to this one, which is you engage with you build a train network in China. So customers benefit not just about in terms of brand exposure, as I said earlier, and building a network which can take a long time. They come back home with transactions with contracts being executed in Shanghai."

STEFAN DE VRIES Paris "Now what do you think about the prospect of the Chinese economy and its impact on the global trade?"

FRANÇOIS GAMET Head of Asia, Standard Bank Group "China remains what we call on what I call the most consequential market for Africa, the one that we have, the biggest impact on our African economies, I think we see a gradual recovery in the short term. And definitely we are much more confident in the medium term finding again, a very solid Chinese economy. I believe the Chinese government has done a very good job. If you just look at the data, the resumption economic rates have been very impressive."

STEFAN DE VRIES Paris "What role can the China international import expo play to improve global trade during and also after the pandemic period?"

FRANÇOIS GAMET Head of Asia, Standard Bank Group "It will continue to deliver trading opportunities, importing or exporting for China. And those participants will have to leave knowing that they've cracked the Chinese market. And with contracts to bring money back home, sustain their jobs, and sustain their businesses."