Roundup: Indian exporters eagerly look forward to 2nd CIIE

NEW DELHI, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Indian exporters are highly optimistic and look forward to the second China International Import Expo (CIIE) to be held from November 5 to November 10 in Shanghai, they told Xinhua before leaving for the event.

According to Sharad Kumar Saraf, president of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), more than 90 Indian export firms would be participating in this year's CIIE.

This year's expo has attracted more than 3,000 companies from over 150 countries and regions. Talking to Xinhua, the FIEO president said that the CIIE would provide an "ideal platform" to Indian firms to display their products and explore possibilities of exporting their products to China.

The first CIIE was a great success, he said. This year India has been invited as a guest of honor country and FIEO has been given the task of managing the Indian pavilion.

"There will be more than 90 Indian companies which would be participating in the CIIE, and several export promote councils are also participating," said the FIEO chief.

"At the CIIE our members expect to sell a lot of their products not only to China but to other countries as well, because this is an international expo. So it is a great opportunity for us," said Saraf.

According to him, Indian companies with industrial raw material, consumer goods, engineering products, chemicals, gems and jewelry, textiles, yarn and fabric, would be participating in this year's CIIE.

Mohammad Imran Wani, managing director of "J.I. International" which manufactures high-end silk carpets, shawls, Persian carpets and other products, said that he eagerly looked forward to the CIIE, as there was a large variety of buyers in the huge country.

Wani said he was tremendously surprised by the amount of enquiries about handmade products in the last CIIE. "People over there have huge potential to buy," he said.

"Silk came to India from China many centuries ago, but now China imports a lot of raw silk from India's southern city of Bengaluru, so it encouraged us to enter the Chinese market," he said. "It's good that China is opening its doors for all over the world, specially for India."

"This is a very big opportunity for our company to showcase our products...This is a big opportunity which we should grab as soon as possible. This could give a big business to us," he said.

Delhi-based pharma company "Auriga Research Private Limited and Arbro Pharmaceuticals Private Limited" is another Indian participant at the CIIE. With its presence at the expo, it would be showcasing its facilities, which includes bioequivalence studies, formulation development, stability studies, analytical development & validation, besides audits for domestic and international clients.

The company's vice president Manish Ranjan told Xinhua that the CIIE would help them get market insights which would, in turn, enable them to consider potential buyers and partners for enhanced business cooperation.

"Our expectations from the CIIE are varied and foremost would be to showcase our products. We would also be able to gather information on legal requirements for trade and export business first-hand. We look forward to expanding our reach to pharmaceutical companies in China through the CIIE," he said.

In his view, the CIIE should be a win-win situation as far as the trade balance is concerned. Forums like the CIIE not only foster economic growth but also strengthen cultural ties.

"This event will help the stakeholders of both countries to have a deeper understanding of the products and services being offered and to match these products with their requirements," Ranjan said.

The CIIE would also help to increase economic cooperation and trade between the two countries. "An exposure to multiple products/services and numerous industries at one place would help to promote better trade ties," he said.

Source: Xinhua