First supply chain expo to see big turnout

The first China International Supply Chain Expo will be held in Beijing from Nov 28 to Dec 2 this year, the event's host said on Friday.

This will mark the first supply chain-themed national-level exhibition anywhere in the world, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade said.

The total exhibition area will exceed 100,000 square meters, featuring a supply chain service exhibition in industries including intelligent automotive, clean energy, digital technology, and modern logistics.

During the expo, an opening ceremony, a summit on global supply chain innovation and development, as well as five sub-forums will be held.

There will also be supply-demand matchmaking sessions, industry seminars, new product launches, and a series of supporting activities, said Ren Hongbin, head of CCPIT.

"We are currently making every effort to recruit domestic and international exhibitors. On Thursday, we held a promotional activity that invited companies from home and abroad. Nearly 600 representatives came, including officials from foreign embassies in China, members of business associations, and business executives," Ren said.

The recruitment work is progressing smoothly and more than a hundred Chinese and foreign companies, including Fortune Global 500 enterprises and small and medium-sized companies specializing in niche industries, have confirmed participation, he said.

In the first quarter, CCPIT conducted surveys of more than 600 foreign enterprises in China. The survey found that the satisfaction ratings for various business environment indicators were all above 80 percent, and 97 percent of the enterprises rated China's foreign investment policies — introduced since the fourth quarter of last year — as "satisfactory" or above.

Yu Jianlong, deputy head of the CCPIT, said: "We are not simply pursuing the amount of transactions during the expo. The main indicator to evaluate the actual effect of the expo is to see how many enterprises have established cooperation in the supply chain, whether the expo has helped improve efficiency and reduced costs for businesses."