2016/9/7

Press conference in Xiamen, Fujian province on Sept 7.[Photo from chinafair.org.cn]

The 19th China International Fair for Investment & Trade is sponsored by China’s Ministry of Commerce, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, World Trade Organization, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, International Finance Corporation, and World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies.

 

The local governments of Fujian province and Xiamen city and the Ministry of Commerce’s investment promotion bureau are in charge of organizing the fair. The total of 56 central and local government agencies included in the fair’s organizing committee will do their due diligence and organize business delegations to participate in this year’s fair.

 

China’s top political leaders attach great importance and pay close attention to the fair. One State Council official has scheduled to attend the opening ceremony on Sept 8.

 

The year 2016 is the first year of China’s 13th Five-Year Plan, which will open up new opportunities for development through expanding the reform and opening-up policy.

 

As one of the largest international investment events, the CIFIT will closely follow global economic development movements and international investment trends, will proactively push forward with the Belt and Road Initiative, and will sustain its orientation towards specialization, globalization and marketization to build an innovative and professional platform for two-way investment, policy releases, and investment-focused forums and seminars.

 

The 19th China International Fair for Investment & Trade will focus on four key themes:

 

 

First, integration of national development strategies, and charting a new landscape of international cooperation

 

 

1. Facilitating the Belt and Road Initiative

 

To push forward the Belt and Road Initiative and boost international investment, the fair will stage a series of activities that:

 

1). showcase investment opportunities, priority projects and specialty products from Belt and Road nations;

2). discuss international economic and cultural cooperation among Maritime Silk Road nations. This will be facilitated by the attendance of a line-up of think tanks focusing on the study of the Belt and Road Initiative;

3). create business opportunities through match making and networking events.

 

In addition, a string of themed seminars will address issues associated with the process of raising connectivity among the Belt and Road nations, including controlling risk for multinational companies; eco-agriculture and food safety; and the development of the health care and tourism industries.

 

2. Collaboration with United Nations Industrial Development Organization

 

A longtime sponsor of the fair, UNIDO is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and the organization’s commitment to promoting sustainable, green and inclusive growth, and industrial transformation among developing countries in particular will be put in the spotlight at this year’s fair .

 

UNIDO is set to participate proactively in this year’s fair. The organization’s Director-General Li Yong will speak at several events, including the 2016 International Investment Forum. A special exhibition will also be held to commemorate the organization’s continual efforts to promote industrial development worldwide during the past five decades.

 

The organization also plans to publicize a research report on industrial upgrading in the East African country Ethiopia at the forum on investment in Africa, which is expected to be attended by political dignitaries from Senegal and Ethiopia. Justin Lin Yifu, a Chinese economist specializing in economic reforms, has been invited to deliver the report.

 

3. Sharing international investment opportunities

 

In light of multinational companies’ great contribution to the growth of the global economy through foreign direct investment, 200 of them will be invited to explore future development opportunities at the fair.

 

Some of the companies will sit down with officials from China’s Ministry of Commerce to discuss the improvement of business environments and the balanced use of foreign investment in various fields. The aim of this forum is to promote industrial transformation in China and raise the confidence of foreign companies in investing in the country.

 

Canon, ABB, Cargill and Sanofi will send delegates to join a briefing on the likely nature of multinational companies’ future operations in China, where senior officers from several companies  will share their experiences of working in China and their visions for future expansion, with the intention to help improve China’s investment environment.

 

 

Second, attracting global participation to provide infinite business opportunities

 

 

This year’s exhibition area will be 45 percent larger than last year’s, covering a total of 138,000 square meters and housing 6,000 booths, as the business world participates in the CIFIT with even greater eagerness than ever before.

 

Promising investment projects, the latest technological innovations and nascent commercial products and services will all be on display at the site.

 

The trade facilitation function of the fair will be strengthened with a large portion of the exhibition site assigned solely to product exhibitions, where specialty products from China and overseas will be on show.

 

More than 50 overseas countries and regions will occupy an exhibition space of 20,000 sq m, including an 800 sq m Italian pavilion, a 1,000 sq m Australian hall and the 6,000 sq m Macao exhibition.

 

The Invest in China exhibition hall will capture great attention, with provincial-level government agencies carefully arranging exhibitions and promotional events. The Guest Province of Honor of this year’s fair, inland Jiangxi province, will set up a massive 1,000 sq m exhibition space to promote itself as an attractive investment destination in East China with hospitable residents and supportive regulatory policies.

 

Around 2,000 foreign and domestic enterprises will show off their competitive products and services, including major state-owned enterprises from China, such as rail transit equipment supplier CRRC and major Chinese airline Air China.

 

There will also be 700 business delegations from 100 different countries and overseas regions participating in the fair, as well as international organizations such as UNIDO, UNCTAD, IFC, WAIPA, and the World Trade Center.

 

Among the foreign dignitaries to attend the fair will be Zimbabwean Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko, Latvian Deputy Prime Minister and Economics Minister Arvils Aseradens and political leaders from Ethiopia, Senegal, Egypt, Indonesia, Thailand, Iran and Turkey.

 

 

Third, welcoming constructive opinions and building on economic openness

 

 

Running alongside the fair, the 2016 International Investment Forum, with its theme of “new visions, further growth and greater openness”, will be attended by global political and business leaders, including Chinese economist Justin Lin Yifu, Wanda Group chairman Wang Jianlin, Party secretary of Fujian province You Quan and officials from China’s Ministry of Commerce and State Council.

 

The Ministry of Commerce will organize a series of seminars during the 2016 IIF. The carefully selected themes will cover cooperation with Taiwan, finance leasing, China-US corporate cooperation, and more.

 

Another 30 symposiums will also be held during the forum by other Chinese government agencies, national business associations, public institutions and media outlets. A number of investment promotion institutions, meanwhile, will host promotional activities to promote the business environments in various countries and regions.

 

A number of important reports will be published during the forum. UNCTAD and UNIDO will release research reports on global investment and industrial transformation in East Africa, while the China Association of Private Equity will publicize a 2016 global merger and acquisitions report.

 

In total, the numerous forums will see 300 international speakers share their opinions on various issues associated with economic development. This year’s fair is set to provide attendees with a panoramic view of the global economy and the chance to witness many of the world’s most insightful persons brainstorming the key issues in today’s economy.

 

 

Fourth, tailor-made match making events and perennial online fair site

 

 

This year’s fair will strive to offer the most comprehensive platform for investment and trade, offering customized match making events and well prepared business negotiation opportunities, and organizing coordinated exhibitions, forums and business matching events.

 

A total of 30,000 investment projects will be launched to global investors during the fair. To help broker as many cooperative deals as possible, the fair’s organizers arranged 26,000 business negotiations in the lead-up to the fair, with another 3,000 project matching events to take place after the fair starts on Sept 8.

 

The match making events will prioritize the industries with the most growth potential, including information and communication technology, service trade, modern agriculture, infrastructure construction, new energy, equipment manufacturing, petrochemicals, bio-medicine, and financial services.

 

Investment agencies, government officials and Chinese companies with plans for global expansion will take advantage of the great opportunities provided for them to learn each other’s terms for cooperation.

 

Investment opportunities opened up by China’s ongoing supply-side reforms and promotion of innovation and entrepreneurship, venture capital and listed companies will be presented to the participants.

 

The online platform of the fair icifit.com will extend the services and complete the fair’s role of fusing exhibitions, business talks and professional, industry-specific seminars. Through the online service, investors and government agencies can connect with each other without subject to the limits of time and space, and enjoy the quality services and consolidated data resources the platform provides.