HAIKOU, July 25. /TASS/. The International Trade Center (ITC), a joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations, will assist small and medium businesses from developing countries to enter the Chinese market, ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton said on Monday in a video message to participants at the opening ceremony of the 2nd China International Consumer Products Expo in Haikou.
"The Chinese market represents something remarkable in numbers. McKinsey estimates that by 2030 the number of middle- and high-income people in China will reach 400 million, the rough equivalent of Europe and the United States combined," she said. "This massive market represents a huge opportunity for the world's businesses. And many large corporations have already seen this opportunity, but the main challenge in achieving true inclusiveness is ensuring that small and medium-sized enterprises benefit from these opportunities as well," the official added.
According to the ITC head, the organization already has experience in helping small- and medium-sized businesses in developing countries enter the Chinese market through participation in trade shows in different regions of China, including Shanghai. "We would be very happy to consider such a collaboration with China International Consumer Products Expo in the future," Cooke-Hamilton added.
"First of all, small and medium-sized businesses need special offers of cooperation with China, including matchmaking training programs and preferential terms for participation in trade shows," she said. "Second of all, there needs to be an even greater focus on e-commerce," the ITC head explained, adding that her agency and e-commerce specialist Alibaba ("Alibaba"), a Chinese company, had already proposed a corresponding project last year.
The 2nd China International Consumer Products Expo will be held from July 25 to 30 and will feature over 2,800 brands from more than 60 countries and regions around the world. Over 600 kinds of products will be unveiled during the expo. As expected, the exhibition will be visited by more than 40 thousand businessmen. France is the guest of honor at this year's event.
The opening ceremony marked the start of the Expo's business program. The exhibition itself started on Tuesday: from July 26 to 28 the exhibition will be open only for the business community and mass media, and on July 29-30 it will open its doors for the general public.