China’s first international Import Expo was able to come up with large numbers of sales, even if there are only agreements. The German response was positive.
In the business of the seller sits normally live on the shorter end of the lever, according to the Motto “The customer is king.” It can be done differently, wanted China to prove with its first country-wide Import trade fair. Here is the seller, “the king was treated”, including the state Banquet with President Xi Jinping. The Chinese state-subsidised exhibition spaces, over 5500 Volunteers crowded to stand to the exhibitors and visitors at any time with advice and act to the side. Everything from the Chinese state to be perfectly organised. Over 3600 businesses and organisations from 172 countries have participated in the fair.
Henry Zhang from the company Kärcher is happy about a lot of sales to private visitors at the fair
Stores about 60 billion US-agreed Dollar
“Overall, business agreements worth nearly US $ 60 billion have been signed”, – said the chief organizer of the Import-Expo’, Liu Fuxue, on the last day of the Mega-Events compared to the DW. Even if many of them are only declarations of intent, the guarantee is still no concrete transactions. At the top stood, according to “China Daily” equipment from the area of artificial intelligence and High-Tech at a value of about 16.5 billion dollars, followed by the automotive and agricultural sectors, each with around twelve billion, for medical products agreements in the amount of 5.8 billion were closed, household appliances and entertainment electronics, it is 4.3 billion US dollars.
But even if the announced Figures are not yet final reality, you have very probably the signal effect, the needs of China at the time of urgent. In the trade conflict with the United States, China wants to prove that the Chinese economy is not only export, but also is ready, the Export-earned money for worldwide purchases.
Despite a subdued mood due to the trade conflict also luxury brands continue to focus on the Chinese market.
Positive response from German representatives
German companies are among the winners of the new Chinese state strategy. China for the second year in a row, Germany’s most important trading partner. Germany was represented with 170 companies at the Import Expo in Shanghai, with well-known names such as ThyssenKrupp, SAP, Adidas, Bayer, or Kärcher. Of course, all German automotive manufacturers like Porsche, BMW or Mercedes. For them, China is, in spite of shrinking economic growth remains the most important market in the world.
For the product Manager Henry Zheng from the cleaning equipment manufacturer Kärcher in Shanghai at the end of the previous Import Expo was a surprising success. The fact that the exhibition organizers entry cards to affluent layers of the Chinese population, was able to sell Kärcher Goods worth more than 75,000 euros to private visitors. “For a trade fair these are rather unusual Figures,” says Zheng compared to the DW. Added to this are the declarations of intent of business customers to the value of over 2.5 million euros.
With “designed in Germany” and “made in China” has been felt by the traditional German company Kärcher little from the downward trend of the Chinese economy. The sales figures for household appliances has increased in the last few years, in the last fiscal year by more than 40 percent, according to Zhang. Other German companies, such as Lanxess, Zeiss or Vaillant reported similar Trends on the fair. Apparently, consumer goods are “made in demand in Germany” still, in spite of the analysts observed drop in the purchasing desire of Chinese consumers, the latter also as a result of the commercial conflict.
“Shake hands” between a visitor and a gripping hand of the German manufacturer Schunk. Robotics and AI were a focus of the exhibition.
Conflict issues part of
Reason enough for Simone Pohl, delegate of the German economy in Shanghai, to continue to look positively on the German-Chinese partnership. At the same time, the managing Director of the German chamber of foreign trade in Shanghai, the Import-Expo as a good opportunity, the still existing hurdles for German companies in China.
Typical issues are the protection of intellectual property, and unfair treatment of foreign companies in the awarding of state contracts. But for the participating German exhibitors such politically sensitive issues in talks “behind closed doors”. On the state Mega-Event Import-Expo only positive messages should be announced.