Sichuan province's capital offers strong resources to support high-growth sector

With advanced infrastructure, transportation, environment and tourism resources, Chengdu in Sichuan province has become a favorite destination in central and western China for holding major exhibitions and fairs.

The 2017 Western China International Fair Import and Export Expo, held in the city in September, covered an exhibition area of 75,000 square meters and attracted more than 20,000 delegates from 75 countries and regions around the world, including 36 involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

More than 1,300 exhibitors took part in the expo, along with 9,000 professional buyers and 82,000 visitors. More than 100 contracts were signed at the event, which were worth nearly 200 billion yuan ($30.5 billion) in total.

Officials from the Chengdu bureau of expo said that international capital and resources have helped to increase the global attractiveness of Chengdu's expo business, allowing it to become a key platform for international exchanges.

The 12th EU-China Business and Technology Cooperation Fair, held in Chengdu from Oct 25 to 27, attracted wider participation than the previous 11 sessions. Delegates came from 25 European countries, including 21 European Union members, and 11 countries related to the Belt and Road Initiative. They represent businesses that cover environmental protection, new materials, information and communications technology, modern agriculture, intelligent manufacturing and tourism, among others.

The previous 11 fairs had attracted 3,120 companies from Europe and 5,720 from China, where more than 2,000 agreements had been reached.

Statistics from the Chengdu bureau of expo show that in the first 10 months of this year, the city hosted more than 500 major exhibitions and fairs, including more than 100 international ones, with a total exhibition area of 3.1 million sq m. The activities generated revenue of more than 80 billion yuan over the period.

Wang Tiangang, head of the bureau, said Chengdu is promoting an internationalized development of the expo industry to build itself into a world renowned expo destination.

"The development of Chengdu's expo business will focus on internationalization, brand building, professionalism and the use of information technology," Wang said. "We will improve the planning of expos for some major sectors, such as equipment manufacturing, trade, cultural industries and the new economy."

The expo business in Chengdu is set to grow by at least 15 percent by 2020 to generate annual revenue of 120 billion yuan.

Wang said Chengdu will learn from Frankfurt, Germany in the international development of the expo business, and the authority has set short, medium and long-term plans, taking into consideration the industry's current development level, aims and requirements.

Wang added that Chengdu will cooperate with international event organizers to introduce globally influential expos and fairs, such as Hannover Messe, Milan Fashion Week, Las Vegas International Consumer Electronics Show and International Hardware Fair Cologne.

zhangzhao@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 12/01/2017 page27)