Pacific Trade Invest China (PTI China) returned to trade shows last month, successfully delivering its first show for the year. It went on to scoop the most prestigious Creative Award of Excellence for the Pavilion design at the China International Trade Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT) 2022.
CIFIT has been serving as an important platform since China first opened to the global market over the past 25 years, drawing Chinese and global participants to showcase their latest products and technologies and boosting two-way trade and investments. This year, under the theme of ‘Global Development: Sharing Digital Opportunities, Investing in a Green Future’, the four-day fair drew around 60,000 guests, 4,000 enterprises and more than 800 industrial and commercial trade groups from 90 countries and regions.
PTI China’s Pacific Pavilion this year featured products ranging from Papua New Guinean coffee, Fijian skincare products, a range of Fijian-made beverages, Noni products and coconut oil, Solomon Islands canned tuna and soaps, Tahitian sea salt, Vanuatu wines, and a range of handicrafts and carvings from the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu. The PTI China Pavilion attracted around 10,000 visitors, many of whom expressed interest in doing business with the Pacific Islands.
PTI China Trade Commissioner Mona Mato said, “Due to mandatory quarantine requirements in China, exporters from the Pacific have not been able to travel to China; however, we were able to have their products shipped to China ahead of CIFIT2022.
“While the Pacific Pavilion featured Pacific products, each year a specific country is featured prominently, whether this is on the pavilion stand or as a side event. This year PTI China worked with the Solomon Islands Embassy, co-hosting a side promotional seminar in the margins of CIFIT2022.”
In delivering his keynote address at the seminar, H.E. John M. Fugui, Solomon Islands Ambassador to China announced that “the government of Solomon Islands has been committed to encouraging private sector-led growth, and over the past decade many positive reforms have been introduced, such as streamlining foreign investment processes. The government strives to establish an attractive investment climate to facilitate foreign investment, where entrepreneurs are encouraged and businesses can thrive. Solomon Islands is looking forward to welcoming more investors and trading partners from China to this beautiful land of ours and, side by side, create prosperity together!”
PTI China’s Trade and Investment Managers, Yolanda Jiang and Jane Ma, also delivered presentations to those who attended the seminar on the trade and investment opportunities available in the Solomon Islands.
At the invitation of PTI China, the seminar was attended by senior officials of the China Council for the Promotions of International Trade (CCPIT). During his speech, Mr Zhu Hongi, CCPIT’s Vice President said: “China has always been Solomon Islands’ largest trading partner and export destination. In recent years, the frequent high-level interactions between China and Solomon Islands have provided a more solid foundation for economic and trade cooperation, and today's seminar has set up an exchange platform for enterprises in China and Solomon Islands. I look forward to opening a new chapter in economic and trade exchanges and cooperation via this platform.”
PTI China and Solomon Islands’ presence at the four-day trade show also attracted key national and regional media, such as China Central Television, Xinhua News Agency, China Daily as well as Xiamen Television. Ambassador Fugui and Trade Commissioner Mato shared with the media information on the importance of the growing trade opportunities between Solomon Islands, the Pacific Islands and China; the outlook for China’s economic climate and trends; expectations for the trade show; and the Belt & Road Initiative.
The Creative Award of Excellence
PTI China’s well-designed exhibition pavilion won the Creative Award of Excellence at CIFIT. The award is under the CIFIT Creative category and is selected by the event’s organising committee, based on impact, overall design, and appeal.
According to Jane Ma, PTI China’s Investment Manager, “The design of the pavilion was inspired by PTI China’s theme ‘Discover Your Investment and Trade Opportunities in the Pacific’, and this year we featured Solomon Islands opportunities as part of our ongoing annual investment partnership with our Pacific embassies. The rounded rooftop design represents a ring-shape, to reflect our Pacific gems across the Pacific, while the surrounding blue and turquoise panels – dressed with some of our unique products – encompasses our Blue Pacific Ocean of resources. The interconnecting green shaded walls were specially designed to create an indoor–outdoor flow for ease of foot traffic, depicting our commitment to a greener environment and to ensure a sustainable and environmental approach in our work to promote our Blue Pacific region in China.”
Mona Mato, Trade Commissioner of PTI China, said upon reflection of the show, “our strategic approach to market pacific products in China is to utilize such international shows like CIFIT2022 to explore buyer opportunities for high quality low volume products of interest. We also look for digital marketing platforms that would provide us the opportunity to list some of our Pacific Island products online, We want to explore the opportunities, generate some good leads, and key outcomes for our Pacific Island exporters in China.”
