Fifth edition of CCFS to be held at Expo Centre Sharjah from Nov 25

The CCFS is an event that is jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, and the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and organised by Chinamex and Expo Centre Sharjah.

The coming edition of the solo country event will feature over 600 reputed enterprises from more than 29 provinces and municipalities of mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau.

Products on display at the Fair will include vehicles and parts, hardware and tools, machine tools and parts, household electrical apparatus, electronic products, foodstuff, medicines and health products, garments, household textile, yarn, daily commodities, utensil and kitchen articles, lights and decoration products, jewellery, building material and building pottery, decoration materials, and household furniture.

All the products and services will be showcased under three categories - high tech machinery and electronics, hardware and textile products, and building material and furniture.

'The CCFS is a true indicator of the strengthening bilateral relations between UAE and China,' said Mr. Saif Al Midfa, Director General, Expo Centre Sharjah, at a media briefing on the coming edition of CCFS that was held at Expo Centre Sharjah on Sunday.

'After four editions, there is no let up in response either from the exhibitors or the visitors to CCFS. On the contrary, with every edition, there has been an increase in visitor turnout as well as deals generated during the show. Since making its debut in 2002, CCFS has become more comprehensive yet very focused. The Fair continues to be the Middle East's largest and most visited sourcing platform for Chinese products and services,' he added.

The last four editions of the CCFS had attracted over 6,000 representatives from more than 2,800 Chinese enterprises as exhibitors. With regard to visitors, there were more than 100,000 trade visitors from 65 countries, with large numbers from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The total value of deals during the last four editions of the show amounted to USD $ 4.6 billion.

The fourth edition of CCFS, which was held at Expo Centre Sharjah from November 26 - 30, 2005, featured 10,000 products from more than 30 provinces and municipalities from Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau. The event attracted a total of 48,646 visitors.

'The CCFS is a manifestation of the warming ties between the UAE and China,' said Mr. Saif Al Midfa.

'The Fair, besides being depended upon by the Middle East region, particularly the GCC states, as a sourcing channel for high quality and affordable Chinese products and services, is also considered an opportunity for traders, entrepreneurs, and other businessmen from the region for networking as well as exploring business opportunities in China and vice versa,' he said.

Mr. Saif Al Midfa further said: 'We are confident that the CCFS will continue with its growth in the coming years and will be in perfect alignment with the pace at which the GCC states, particularly the UAE, and China are progressing towards enhancement of bilateral trade and investment cooperation.'

The GCC states and China are currently in the negotiation stage for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The two are expected to arrive at an agreement by the year-end.

Bilateral trade between the GCC states and China is on the up. In 2005, trade between China and the GCC states amounted to USD $ 32 billion of which USD $ 10 billion was with the UAE. From 2001 to 2006, Chinese exports to Middle East increased by 30% annually.

Within the Middle East region, China's trade relations with the UAE has been experiencing significant progression. In the first six months of 2006, trade between the UAE and China increased by 28.6 % to USD $ 6.7 billion. Trade between China and the GCC states as a whole increased 34 % to USD $ 21 billion.

By the end of 2006, trade between China and the UAE is expected to grow by 50% over 2005 to USD $ 15 billion.

At present, there are over 1,000 Chinese companies operating in the UAE.

Talking about the coming edition of CCFS, Mr. Miao Lin, Vice-General Manager of the Chinamex Group said at the briefing: 'The fifth edition of CCFS will occupy a total exhibition area of 16,000 square meters. There will be several hundred enterprises from 29 provinces and cities of China participating in the exhibition, including Huaqi Information Digital Technology Company, Beijing Double-Crane Pharmaceutical Company, and Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group to name a few.'

The CCFS 2006 will be open from 10 am to 1 pm for trade only and from 5 pm to 9 pm for both trade and public. Children below 16 years will not be allowed.