Liu Fuxue (C, Rear), vice director of the CIIE bureau, addresses the 3rd China International Import Expo Road Show in New York, the United States, on Nov. 25, 2019. Several U.S. enterprises have expressed continued interest in participating in the China International Import Expo (CIIE), after an overseas promotion for the event was held in New York on Monday. So far, a total of 41 companies from the United States have signed up for the third CIIE in November 2020, with many participants deciding to expand their exhibition areas, said Liu Fuxue, vice director of the CIIE bureau. (Xinhua/Li Rui)

by Xinhua writer Liu Yanan

NEW YORK, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- Several U.S. enterprises have expressed continued interest in participating in the China International Import Expo (CIIE), after an overseas promotion for the event was held in New York on Monday.

So far, a total of 41 companies from the United States have signed up for the third CIIE in November 2020, with many participants deciding to expand their exhibition areas, said Liu Fuxue, vice director of the CIIE bureau.

HEFTY NEW BUSINESS

During the second CIIE, which concluded on Nov. 10, U.S. exhibitors not only made the top ranking in terms of total exhibition area from a single country or region this year, but also bagged 12.96 billion U.S. dollars of preliminary deals, accounting for 18.22 percent of the total, said Liu.

These numbers illustrate that in spite of the current tough climate of bilateral trade relations, the tie between Chinese and U.S. enterprises is still strong, said Gu Chunfang, economic and commercial counselor of the Chinese Consulate General in New York.

About 20 U.S. companies signed up for next year's event even before the second CIIE ended, according to a news report published by China Central Television on Nov. 7.

Liu said that U.S. companies proactively joined the first and the second CIIE, reporting solid results.

"In talking with American business leaders and participants, I am aware that U.S. companies still give much priority to the Chinese market with enthusiasm, despite the current China-U.S. trade frictions," said Xu Chen, chairman of China General Chamber of Commerce-U.S.A. and president and CEO of Bank of China USA.

As U.S. business leaders regard the CIIE as a valuable platform, many top executives lead their delegations to the expo, showcasing their businesses and diving deeper into the Chinese market, said Xu, who added that the import market will play a more important role in China's economic development.

"We will continue to lower tariffs and institutional transaction costs, foster a number of demonstration zones to promote import by creative means, to import more high-quality goods and services from around the world, including the United States," she said.

As the world's first import-themed national-level expo, the CIIE is a great platform for Chinese and U.S. companies to go further together, Gu added.

SEEK AFTER BOOTH

U.S.-based food service, facilities, and uniform services provider Aramark Corporation participated in the second CIIE. A speech made during the event by Jeff Zettel, the company's associate vice president, was "a very positive experience," he said.

"(The CIEE is) a fantastic opportunity for us and we're looking forward to doing it again in 2020," said Zettel, who signed an exhibition agreement with the CIIE bureau on Monday.

"We're looking to continue to make new relationships, to make new friends and to identify new opportunities to grow our business."

Zettel added that Aramark now has about 35,000 employees in China and its Chinese arm is a very important part of the group.

"It is a rapidly growing part of our company and we want to continue to do business in China across the different regions," he said.

Leo Chan, executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Chinese Chamber of Commerce (GCCCC), also inked an exhibition agreement with the CIIE bureau on Monday, successfully reserving a special booth measuring 150 square meters.

One of the GCCCC's priorities is to help small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from the midwestern United States explore the Chinese market and participate in the CIIE.

As a chamber of commerce with strong Chinese ties, the GCCCC chooses to maintain exchanges with China despite China-U.S. relationsups and downs, said Chan, adding that the capacity to tap China's market is very important to the long-term development of the SMEs.

Chan said that the GCCCC wasn't able to successfully book a booth at the first and second CIIEs, "so I came early this time and flew to New York all the way from Ohio to join the roadshow."

(Xinhua reporters Zhou Saang and Li Rui also contributed to this story.)