Sharjah Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi inaugurates CCFS 2005

Present at the inauguration ceremony were Mr. Ahmed Mohammed Al Midfa, Chairman of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI),
Mr. Mohammed Salem Al Mosharrekh, Board Member - Expo Centre Sharjah, Mr. Fasahat Ali Khan, Acting Director General - Expo Centre Sharjah, officials of various government departments, and members of the diplomatic corps and trade associations.

The Fair, which is China's largest trade event in the Middle East, is this year featuring over 600 companies from more than 30 provinces and municipalities of mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, and displaying more than 10,000 products.

Among the different categories of products that are being showcased at the five-day Fair are machinery, engineering, electrical, light industry equipment, textile, and building material among others.

The event is being jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, and the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), and jointly organised by Chinamex and Expo Centre Sharjah.

"The CCFS is China's largest trade event in the Middle East,"

said Mr. Ahmed Mohammed Al Midfa, Chairman of SCCI, after the opening of the Fair."

"After three editions, the event has successfully established itself as an effective trade channel for Chinese enterprises keen to tap the huge lucrative regional market. For companies based in the Middle East, on the other hand, the CCFS is an ideal platform for sourcing high quality and affordable Chinese products and services and also for exploring a variety of investment opportunities that China today offers," he said.

Mr. Midfa further said that the CCFS had played a major contributory role in boosting trade relations between China and other countries in the Middle East, particularly the UAE.

The total trade between China and UAE between January- August 2005 stood at USD $ 6.9 billion, up 35 per cent from the previous corresponding period.

During this period, China's exports to the UAE amounted to USD $ 5.5 billion, while imports, consisting of oil and oil products, were to the tune of USD $ 1.4 billion.

In 2004, trade between China and other Arab countries amounted to USD $ 37 billion.
Currently, the UAE has the strongest presence of Chinese companies in the GCC. The UAE has 2,000 Chinese companies while Saudi Arabia has 20, and Kuwait and Oman has 10 each.

"The strategic location of UAE, especially Sharjah, its vibrant and affluent population, and also its close proximity to markets in Central Asia, Indian subcontinent and Africa, are some of the major attractants for Chinese companies," said Mr. Fasahat Ali Khan, Acting Director General, Expo Centre Sharjah.

"In 2004, the Chinese economy was the second-largest in the world after the US. Taking in to account the size of the economy and also the fact that China enjoys a definite expertise in the fields of information technology, water treatment, food processing, petrochemical and agricultural industries, it can be undoubtedly said that there exists a tremendous potential to further strengthen the current economic ties between the UAE and China. The CCFS is aimed at further bolstering the mutually beneficial trade relationship that is currently shared between the two countries," he added.

The last edition of CCFS, which was held at Expo Centre Sharjah in December 2004, attracted a total of 55,071 visitors including 13,834 trade visitors from 61 countries and had generated business in excess of USD $ 336 million. This included agreements signed between the exhibitors and visitors for possible cooperation in the future as well.

"The current edition of CCFS occupies two halls of Expo Centre Sharjah measuring total exhibition area of 8,000 sq. m. The number of exhibitors is also the same as the last edition," said Mr. Saif M. Al Midfa, Manager, Expo Marketing Services, Expo Centre Sharjah.

"The popularity of this event can be gauged from the large number of visitors it attracts," he added.