Shanghai Import Expo hosts Hong Kong enterprises seeking mainland market

Hong Kong is sending 54 enterprises, including a century-old soy sauce brand, to attend the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, which kicks off on Wednesday (Nov 5).

The exhibition will feature two dedicated halls for Hong Kong brands, totaling 1,500 square meters, according to Lyu Jian, East China chief representative of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC).

Lyu noted that the number of Hong Kong exhibitors this year is similar to that of last year. Among them, 33 Hong Kong enterprises will participate in the Hong Kong food hall, located in the agricultural and food products exhibition area.

Around 21 local enterprises will take part in the Hong Kong services exhibition hall within the trade in services exhibition area, with innovative technology firms and traditional service industries each accounting for about half.

The expo serves as a great opportunity for Hong Kong companies to gain new orders and meet new partners from the mainland, Lyu said, highlighting that a time-honored soy sauce company is making its debut at the CIIE this year to enter the mainland market.

He added that the expo also drives technology enterprises to commercialize scientific research outcomes in mainland and seek broader application scenarios. Some of the participating innovation enterprises are from The Chinese University of Hong Kong and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Lyu said the HKTDC will also set up a live streaming room in the Hong Kong food hall for the first time, encouraging Hong Kong exhibitors to leverage mainland e-commerce networks.

Starting from the second day of the CIIE, they will conduct five consecutive days of live streaming sales to facilitate Hong Kong businesses in reaching consumer groups.

Additionally, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu will officiate at the Hong Kong - The Ideal Platform for Mainland Enterprises in Going Global Promotion Conference hosted by the government. 

This will be the first large-scale publicity event in the mainland organized by the Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global, bringing together cross-sector speakers to highlight the strengths of Hong Kong as an international platform for going global.