ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia is marking its presence at the 6th annual China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, aiming to leverage the event to introduce its local specialty products to the vast Chinese market.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, the event is a significant platform for Ethiopian exporters, who are participating with a 136-square-meter booth sponsored by the Chinese government. This initiative includes free booths, subsidies, and preferential tax policies for least developed countries to facilitate market entry. The Ethiopian presence at CIIE is the result of joint coordination between the Ethiopian Embassy in Beijing and the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration of Ethiopia.
Apart from the expo participation, the Ethiopian Embassy is actively involved in sideline forums to promote investment prospects, export items, and tourism destinations of Ethiopia. Chinese Premier Li Qiang, at the opening ceremony, announced that previous expos had unveiled over 2,000 new products, technologies, and services, leading to business deals worth close to 350 billion USD.
Li Qiang indicated China's plans to bolster imports and develop foreign trade through new forums and digital trade models. With a consumer base of over 1.4 billion people, including a middle-income group surpassing 400 million, the Premier expressed confidence in China's potential to boost global market demand. He forecasted China's imports of goods and services to reach 17 trillion USD over the next five years.
Trade and Promotion department head at the Ethiopian Embassy in Beijing, Munteha Jemal, emphasized that the CIIE is a key instrument for advancing China-Africa relations, acknowledging that previous expos had enabled Ethiopia to strengthen trade ties and showcase its potential to Chinese and global enterprises.
The CIIE, an initiative by President Xi Jinping, represents China's commitment to global openness and is seen as a crucial measure for the country to voluntarily open its market to the world. The expo, which has attracted nearly hundreds of companies and market leaders this year, is scheduled to continue until November 10th as per the Ethiopian Embassy in Beijing.