Xinhua News Agency, Phnom Penh, November 5 (Reporter Mao Pengfei) In an interview with a reporter from Xinhua News Agency, Cambodian businessmen said that the third China International Import Expo held in Shanghai (referred to as the CIIE) showed that China is firmly advancing economic globalization and taking the initiative. Opening the market to the world, the platform of the China International Import Expo has also greatly promoted Cambodia’s product exports.
Cambodia is one of the guest countries of the second CIIE. Last year, it participated in the national exhibition and the corporate exhibition, displaying Cambodian specialty products for global buyers and visitors. This year, Cambodia also sent well-known enterprises to participate in the third CIIE.
The State Secretary and spokesperson of the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce Xiangtai spoke highly of the CIIE. He said that holding the CIIE against the background of Coronavirus Pandemic shows that China continues to support international trade and multilateralism.
Xiangtai said that the CIIE will be a good opportunity for global companies to explore the Chinese market, witness China’s opening up and seek high-quality development. On this platform, exhibitors will showcase their products, services and investment projects to Chinese consumers, other buyers and exhibitors around the world.
This is the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). The opening ceremony of the 3rd China International Import Expo was held in Shanghai on the evening of November 4. The National Convention and Exhibition Center (Shanghai), nicknamed “Four-leaf Clover”, where the CIIE is held, enters the “Time of CIIE”. (Posted by Xinhua News Agency, photo by Wu Kai)
Xiangtai believes that Cambodia has benefited a lot from participating in the previous two CIIEs, and this CIIE will also further promote the development of bilateral economic and trade between Cambodia and China. In 2019, the bilateral trade volume between China and Cambodia reached 9.42 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of 27% over 2018.
Lun Yan, secretary-general of the Cambodian Rice Union, said that in the context of Coronavirus Pandemic raging around the world and the rise of trade protectionism, hosting the third CIIE will inject more momentum into the world economy. He said: “The CIIE shows that China has fulfilled its commitment to further opening up and will help restart cross-border trade hit by the pandemic.”
Lun Yan said that the previous two CIIEs will greatly promote the export of Cambodian rice to China. China is currently the largest export market for Cambodian rice. In the first nine months of 2020, Cambodia exported about 170,000 tons of rice to China. It is expected that it will export 250,000 tons of rice to China this year.
China and Cambodia signed a free trade agreement on October 12, 2020, and the market is more optimistic about the prospects of Cambodian agricultural exports to China.
Chen Qisheng, general manager of China Certification & Inspection Group Cambodia Co., Ltd., told reporters that the main agricultural products that Cambodia exports to China are rice, bananas, cassava, starch, cashew nuts and corn. China and Cambodia are also advancing Cambodian longan, dragon fruit, coconut, pepper, bird’s nest, and aquatic products to be exported to China. It is expected that more high-quality Cambodian products will be exported to China in the next few years.
Wen Lai, president of Cambodian Kampot Pepper Promotion Association, is very looking forward to Cambodian pepper exports to China. He said that Kampot pepper is spicy and fragrant. It was registered as a geographical indication product in Cambodia in 2010 and is very popular in the EU market. It obtained EU geographical indication certification in 2016. He expressed his belief that Kampot pepper will also be welcomed by the Chinese market.
