Since the beginning of this month, European companies have shown greater interest in the second CIIE held in Shanghai, from the company’s participation in major city roadshows.
Five new companies from Finland expressed their keen interest in participating in the ambitious exhibition during the Helsinki roadshow, while cleaning solution provider Elozo Oy has confirmed that it will participate in the third CIIE next year. According to Valle Kulmala, co-founder of the company, Finnish air purifier manufacturer Air participated in the event for the second time this year.
Kulmala said that Air0 won several end users and partners after attending the first show of the show last year. More importantly, the event helped Finnish companies better understand industry and market opportunities, and other Finnish companies should also seize this by participating in CIIE.
Jusa Susia, head of the East Asian region of the Finnish Commercial Bank, said several Finnish companies will showcase their strengths in telecommunications, clean energy and biotechnology at the second CIIE show. European countries will also seek cooperation with Chinese companies and institutions in winter sports and early childhood education.
Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Bingnan said during the road show that China has become Finland’s largest trading partner in Asia for 15 consecutive years. Finnish companies should continue to look for opportunities in the Chinese market, estimating that they will import more than $30 trillion worth of products and $10 billion worth of services over the next 15 years.
During the Swedish road show on April 11, natural food supplier Plantamed AB signed the second CIIE agreement. Prior to this, eight other Swedish companies signed up for the exhibition, led by well-known companies such as Volvo and IKEA.
Last year, a total of 15 Swedish companies participated in the first CIIE, covering smart and high-end equipment, automotive, consumer electronics and household appliances, food and agricultural products, medical equipment and healthcare, and trade in services. The Swedish company also signed a total of $369 million in cooperation agreements during the event.
Marcus Burmester, marketing director at Swedish food company Lantmannen, said that a large number of visitors to CIIE last year were overwhelmed by them. He said that this is the ideal gateway for launching new products, sharing market information and finding potential business partners.
Chinese Ambassador to Sweden Gui Congyou said that the Chinese government will increase imports of high-end products and urged Swedish companies to use the Expo to further expand their market share.
According to Liu Fuxue, deputy director of the CIIE Bureau, the second CIIE corporate pavilion will expand to 300,000 square meters this year, higher than the 270,000 square meters of the first exhibition. At the same time, an outdoor experience zone will be added, including activities such as driverless and baking.
As of April 2, more than 1,800 companies from 77 countries and regions have applied to the second CIIE, and 50% of them have signed contracts with the CIIE Bureau. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Commerce, as many as 180 Fortune 500 companies have signed contracts for the show.
