Supply chain expo to attract major MNCs

A number of companies from the United States will present their latest products and technological solutions at the inaugural China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing next week, underscoring their long-term commitment to the Chinese market, the country's top foreign trade and investment promotion agency said on Tuesday.

The grand event will be held at the China International Exhibition Center (Shunyi Venue) from Tuesday to Dec 2.

The event will see the participation of 515 domestic and foreign companies, as well as international organizations, according to information released by the Beijing-based China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

About 20 percent of the CISCE's international exhibitors are US companies such as Apple, Intel, Exxon-Mobil, Cargill, Honeywell, FedEx Express and GE HealthCare. The CISCE has attracted multinational corporations from 55 countries and regions, said Zhang Shaogang, vice-chairman of the CCPIT, at a news conference in Beijing.

"Many US companies view the CISCE as a platform for launching new products, showcasing innovations and fostering collaborations. They will present a range of new products, technologies and services," Zhang said, adding that the expo will also serve as a platform for sharing mutual growth experiences with global suppliers.

For instance, Honeywell will debut its auxiliary power unit for widebody aircraft, and GE HealthCare will, for the first time, showcase its global supply chain platform through advanced digital technologies.

"We hope that the participating US companies actively engage in the expo, yielding fruitful outcomes," he said. "Simultaneously, as they progress in their own development, we anticipate their positive contribution to fostering healthy, stable and enduring development in Sino-US relations."

Covering a total exhibition area of 100,000 square meters, the first CISCE features five supply chains — smart vehicle, green agriculture, clean energy, digital technology and healthy life — as well as a supply chain service exhibition area.

China, which has proactively opened its market to the outside world, has become a primary trading partner of over 140 countries and regions, becoming the world's second-largest importer for 14 consecutive years, data from CCPIT showed.

Throughout this year, CCPIT has hosted visits from a large number of executives of multinational companies, such as Stefan Hartung, chairman of Germany's Robert Bosch GmbH, and Vimal Kapur, CEO of US-based Honeywell International Inc.

They have universally expressed optimism about the Chinese market and stressed their intent to increase investments in China, said Wu Shengrong, head of the department of exhibition management at the CCPIT.

"The CISCE plays a pivotal role in expanding international trade. Through this platform, we aim to demonstrate our differentiated services and solutions in network and capacity development, fortifying import supply chains, unlocking opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises, and catalyzing cross-border e-commerce and other business forms," said Eddy Chan, vice-president of FedEx Express and president of FedEx China.

In addition to shipping three giant pandas from Washington DC to Chengdu, the capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, earlier this month, the US company announced a new flight service between Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Guangzhou, the capital of South China's Guangdong province, on Nov 1, facilitating swift connections between Vietnam and other markets in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

Robert Aspell, president for Asia-Pacific at US agribusiness group Cargill Inc, said that China's growing middle-income group and expanding urbanization rate, among other factors, make the company optimistic about increased food consumption in the country.

Aspell said that China's vast consumer base provides significant market space for agricultural products, making it a core market in the global agricultural supply chain.