Expanded exhibition scale, cooperation with neighboring
countries, revitalization of traditional industrial bases in
Northeast China and other economic and cultural activities will be
the highlights of this year's 18th China Harbin Fair for Trade and
Economic Cooperation (Harbin Fair).
The fair, being held from today until June 19 at the Harbin
International Conference, Exhibition and Sports Center in Harbin,
capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, is drawing
intense attention from visitors, and domestic and overseas
exhibitors.
Organizing committee sources said the fair covers an area of
76,000 sq m and features 2,000 international exhibition booths.
In terms of exhibition scale, some professional pavilions will
be set up to cover sectors such as organic food, the hi-tech
industry, machinery and electricity, furniture and building
materials, and pharmaceuticals sectors, as well as the chemical,
light, textile, garment and culture industries.
There will also be pavilions for foreign countries and China's
Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, and Taiwan
Province.
Jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce, the State
Council's office for the revitalization of Northeast China and the
China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the
governments of Heilongjiang Province and East China's Zhejiang
Province and Harbin, this year's fair will be a more
internationalized event.
Internationalized event
A total of 12 international governmental and business
organizations from seven countries and regions, including Russia,
Japan, the United Nations Industry Development Organization and the
United Nations Development and Planning Organization, as well as
the Hong Kong SAR government, are also jointly organizing the fair,
helping it gain increased global attention.
Further, there will be many World Top 500 multinational
corporations, professional purchasers and top domestic and overseas
enterprises attending the event.
About 11,000 overseas business representatives from 80 countries
and regions and 110,000 domestic representatives are expected to
participate in the fair.
Such a strong presence of foreign entities shows how Harbin Fair
has been upgraded from a national event to an international expo,
which will further intensify its influence both at home and abroad,
making coordination among related organizations much smoother and
more powerful, the organizing committee said.
As the Harbin Fair adheres to the principle of viewing Russia,
CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) nations and East European
countries as its main partners, this year's event will help to
further promote business and trade ties with them.
Furthermore, fair organizers have also paid attention to
inviting businesses from Japan, the Republic of Korea and Mongolia,
as well as from countries in Southeast Asia, the European Union,
North America and Oceania.
Special activities
Harbin Fair will see the launch of some key economic activities,
including the Korean Business Day, Hong Kong Business Day, and the
Japanese Business Week.
As the Year of China in Russia this year is seen as an
unprecedented opportunity for economic and trade cooperation
between the two countries, the 18th Harbin Fair has been listed as
an important event by both countries.
Sino-Russian bilateral trade volume was worth $6.69 billion last
year, an increase of 17.8 per cent from the previous year.
The exhibition area for Russian machinery, and electrical and
hi-tech products will be further enlarged. The "Russian Business
Week," one of the main commercial activities, will be held again
during the fair with even more participants.
Echoing the nation's strategy of revitalizing the traditional
industrial bases in Northeast China, the fair will also hold a
special exhibition displaying cooperation projects in this
field.
Projects related to revitalizing traditional industrial bases
cover equity reform of State-owned enterprises in Northeast China
and the development of the Harbin-Daqing-Qiqihar Industrial
Corridor.
Meanwhile, a series of international business activities, forums
and seminars, as well as cultural and sports exchange activities
are to be launched during the fair.
These activities include various exhibitions, business
discussions, contract-signing ceremonies, and evening art shows. A
number of diverse cultural programs will also be held in the major
squares of the city of Harbin.
(China Daily June 15, 2007)