Shanghai 05 November 2022: Maltese products will be hitting the Chinese shelves for another year as the China International Import Expo (CIIE) kicked off yesterday, November 4th 2022, in Shanghai. This is the world’s largest single-block building and exhibition complex, with a nearly 1.5-million-meter square construction area.
Base Malta has been operating in China since 2001, opening its first permanent office in 2005 whilst participating in numerous fairs and conferences.
The Malta Import Pavilion, located in the heart of the event’s venue, presents an excellent opportunity for Maltese businesses to showcase their products to service providers and customers across Asia. The pavilion is visited by businesspeople from around the world. There are two distinct groups of businesses visiting the pavilion: Those looking for services and those interested in sourcing products from foreign countries.
Whilst commenting on Malta’s involvement in the China International Import Expo, Minister Ian Borg said that as Minister for Trade, it is a pleasure to see Maltese private companies expand overseas. “This new outlet in the heart of Shanghai, China, shows our businesses’ determination to continue growing whilst promoting our Maltese identity. I augur that more businesses take this step forward and believe in their abilities to continue enlarge their ventures.”, explained Borg.
This year the Maltese Pavilion, which is open all year round, got an upgrade from the one opened last year, with more exhibition space and higher visibility. The new outlet and Base Malta’s offices in Shanghai will assist Maltese companies in exporting their products and provide other services such as legal advice and assistance in China.
Base Malta is a multidisciplinary business support hub providing innovation and entrepreneurship services aimed at helping businesses to grow. Established in 2001 and operating from Sliema, Malta, Base Malta supports local businesses through the export promotion process to the world’s biggest market – China.
The CIIE is a great platform to build relationships and enhance Malta’s reputation as an innovation-driven and entrepreneurial country.
The decision by Base Malta to participate in CIIE has proven to be very fruitful, with several enquiries generated during the last year leading to the development of products specifically made for the massive Asian market.
These vary from services, such as education, to requests for meat, seafood, olive oil and other specialised products.
There are many reasons why Base Malta decided to participate in this permanent Expo, but mainly because it offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet with potential partners and explore new opportunities for collaboration on a much bigger scale than we are used to.
The CIIE also serves as a networking event where global players in the supply chain can connect and collaborate with producers and service providers. This year the CIEE will gather more than 2,000 global enterprises from over 130 countries and regions.
In a speech at CIIE, President Xi Jinping emphasised that China will “continue to open wider to the world” and remain open to “foreign investors from all countries”. While the Chinese economy is already the largest importer in the world, the government expects it to grow further and develop new trade relationships.
This event provides an excellent opportunity for businesses to network, share best practices and forge new partnerships. It also offers businesses in other sectors an opportunity to learn how they can benefit from China’s growing economy.