STORY: East China Fair injects vitality into China's foreign trade sector
DATELINE: July 15, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:43
LOCATION: SHANGHAI, China
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the 31st East China Fair
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): TAN MING, Orient International Enterprise, Ltd.
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): WU HUIPING, Zhejiang Jiaxin Silk Corp., Ltd.
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): NICK EVANS, Buyer from the United Kingdom

STORYLINE:

The East China Fair, the largest regional trade fair in China, wrapped up in Shanghai on Saturday.

The four-day event has attracted around 4,000 companies from 34 countries and regions, injecting further growth momentum into east China's foreign trade sector.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): TAN MING, Orient International Enterprise, Ltd.
"We entered Africa in 2019 and officially commenced production in 2021. We established a sweater manufacturing factory in Ethiopia, with an annual capacity of 10 million sweaters. Our goal was to bring our mature sweater manufacturing techniques to Africa, while also exploring unique products in Africa with the intention of introducing them into the domestic market in China."

Customs data shows that China's foreign trade is showing strong resilience, growing 4.7 percent year on year to 16.77 trillion yuan (about 2.34 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first five months of 2023.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): WU HUIPING, Zhejiang Jiaxin Silk Corp., Ltd.
"As an experienced exhibitor, our company has been participating in the East China Fair since the first edition. Our products belong to traditional categories, and in order to make them more accessible to a wider consumer base, we must modify and enhance their performance beyond their original capabilities."

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): NICK EVANS, Buyer from the United Kingdom
"I have been buying from China for more than 40 years. I like the interaction with the factories and suppliers. Online is great when you have no alternative, but I'd like to come to the show, look at the products, talk to the people, find out what's happening with the businesses."

The fair is regarded as an important barometer of China's foreign trade, and is held jointly by nine provinces and cities in east China.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Shanghai, China.
(XHTV)