Tanzanian exhibitors were in the spotlight at the seventh China International Import Expo (CIIE) held in Shanghai, east China, from 5 to 10 November. Participating in the expo for the seventh time, the country was among one of the six guests of honour for this year and saw more Tanzanian firms joining in.
Jackson Mponela, production manager for commerce and development of a Tanzanian processor of agricultural products such as beeswax and honey, saw the CIIE as a good opportunity for their products to capture the Chinese market of over 1.4 billion people.
“I watched a video about the CIIE held last year and I was so impressed by the hustle and bustle there, so I figured we should start our first CIIE journey this year,” he told Xinhua News Agency, adding that he expects to secure new partnerships at the expo and learn more about how other companies are operating.
Elizabeth Kalambo, CEO of Sisalana Tanzania, a sisal product manufacturer based in Tanga, Tanzania, was another Tanzanian first-time participant. “We’ve been trading through a middleman who would come to Tanzania and then take products to China. Now, we’re here to meet our clients directly,” she said, expressing optimism about expanding her company’s global reach through the expo.
These companies were among the 3,496 exhibitors from 129 countries and regions attending this year’s expo. During the expo, a total of $80.01 billion worth of tentative deals were reached for one-year purchases of goods and services, representing an increase of 2 percent from that of last year.
Since its inception in 2018, the CIIE has seen larger attendance and expanding turnover. This year’s success has consolidated its role as a platform for China’s high-level opening up, offering opportunities to exhibitors from all over the world to expand their presence in the huge Chinese market.
A platform shared by all
This year’s expo notably saw the participation of 297 Fortune Global 500 and industry-leading companies, a new record, demonstrating the expo’s appeal. However, other participants with smaller scales have also benefitted from their engagement with the CIIE and the Chinese market.
One typical case is Warmpaca, a manufacturer of Peruvian alpaca wool toys. Starting from a 9-square-metre stall at the inaugural CIIE, it is now selling these toys in 30 shopping malls across China and on various e-commerce platforms, with annual sales volume surpassing 30,000 units.
The history of the brand dates back to 2016, when Ma Yuxia, a Chinese businesswoman, purchased alpaca wool products made by Peruvian craftsman Oswaldo Mamani at a street market in Arequipa, Peru, and introduced them to the Chinese market. Ma and her partners then established the brand, and their participation in all editions of the CIIE was a great help to expanding their business.
“It has been an incredibly rewarding journey, completely exceeding our expectations,” said Ysabel Zea, co-founder of Warmpaca. Their booth filled with adorable toys at this year’s expo became a popular photo spot, winning them even more favour among Chinese consumers.
Supporting start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises has been a focus of the CIIE. Its Innovation Incubation Special Section dedicated to start-ups seeking to broaden their reach and impact has been a key highlight since 2021. By means such as offering increased opportunities for media exposure and investor engagement, it has helped 524 projects showcased in the section in the past three years, attracting significant attention from both Chinese and international audiences.
The CIIE this year also continued its support for least developed countries, offering over 120 free booths and other support measures to 37 least developed countries.
For African countries, the exhibition area for African agricultural products was expanded, showcasing a variety of specialty agricultural products from the continent, such as coffee beans, shea butter, cashew nuts, honey and tropical fruits.
“CIIE offers a unique platform to engage directly with consumers and distributors, which will be invaluable for enhancing our export strategies,” said Ruth Wondosen Tesfaye from Addis Coffee from Ethiopia. Since its debut at the CIIE in 2019, Ethiopian coffee has gained increased recognition in the Chinese market.
“China’s large market and increasing demand for unique products like coffee from Ethiopia present immense potential for African businesses,” he told Xinhua News Agency.
Fostering innovative growth
The CIIE has emerged as a major launchpad for new products, cutting-edge technologies and innovative services. The previous six editions of the expo saw nearly 2,500 new products, technologies and services make their debuts.
At this year’s CIIE, over 400 new products, technologies and services from around the world were unveiled, spanning sectors such as artificial intelligence (AI), new materials, and autonomous systems.
The Innovation Incubation Special Section featured for the first time exhibitions in four major fields: digital economy, green and low-carbon development, life sciences, and manufacturing technologies. It showcased about 360 innovative projects, the highest number for the section since 2021.
As a new feature of this year’s expo, a special section for new materials was set, which featured high-value products such as electronic materials, biomaterials, and special-purpose materials.
The application of artificial intelligence in various sectors was a key highlight at the expo in terms of innovation. Siemens, a regular participant of the CIIE, aroused the interest of visitors with an AI-based robotic cocktail maker. Capable of voice interaction, the robot made on-site fresh cocktails tailored to the demand of visitors. Other AI applications displayed at the expo included humanoid robots, surgical robots, smart cleaners, and even a table tennis coaching robot.
Transportation was another key area with thrilling innovations. Electric cars were displayed by most of the automakers at the expo, along with hydrogen-powered buses, electric powered bicycles, motorised shoes, and futuristic electric vertical taking-off and landing aircrafts.
Exhibitors attributed the motive to exhibit their innovations to an evolving consumer base in China. “China’s growth pattern has shifted from quantity-oriented to quality-oriented,” said Tetsuro Homma, executive vice president of Panasonic Holdings Corp. “To keep pace with this change, we are setting up more research and development teams in China to quickly adapt to the evolving Chinese market.” Among its various exhibits, the company drew visitor attention with its auto parts designed for electric vehicles placed on a car model.
In the special section for new materials, Suzano, a giant in commercial pulp production from Brazil, showcased its innovative achievements in bio-based solutions, as well as a low-carbon tissue product jointly developed with its Chinese partner.
“Chinese customers are open to innovation and testing new products, business models and practices,” said Pablo Machado, president of business management at Suzano Asia. “The biggest opportunities for companies here will be higher-quality products and services.”
This corresponds to China’s growing position in innovation. According to the Global Innovation Index 2024 released by the World Intellectual Property Organisation, China has moved up one spot to 11th place in the latest rankings of the world’s most innovative economies – becoming one of the fastest risers over the past decade.
Commitment to openness
As the world’s first national-level import expo, the CIIE constitutes an important part of China’s efforts to meet its commitment to increasing openness and advancing an open world economy.
Statistics show that the previous six editions of the expo have generated combined intended turnover up to over $420 billion, facilitating precise matchmaking for more than 1,130 foreign enterprises and investment promotion agencies across different regions.
“As de-globalisation, unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise, it is all the more important that China stays committed to, expands and upgrades its opening up,” Chinese Premier Li Qiang said in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the seventh CIIE.
China has fully implemented all the opening-up measures announced at the previous six CIIEs, including scrapping all items in the manufacturing industry on the national negative list for foreign investment, Li said.
According to him, China is willing to open up its enormous market further and will continue to expand market access to sectors in an orderly fashion, including telecommunications, the Internet, education, culture and health care.
Such efforts have lifted China to a higher level of openness. The World Openness Report 2024, which was released at the seventh Hongqiao International Economic Forum in Shanghai in parallel with the CIIE, showed that China remains one of the bright spots amid rising protectionism worldwide.
According to the report, China’s openness index rose from 0.6789 in 2008 to 0.7596 in 2023, an increase of 11.89 percent, placing it among the top economies globally in terms of growth rate in this aspect.
African Times has published this article in partnership with ChinAfrica Magazine.
