China sourcing fairs open

China Sourcing Fairs, a regional showcase for a wide range of products from the leading Asian manufacturing hub, opened in Dubai on Tuesday. Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE Minister for Foreign Trade, inaugurated the three-day event. The fairs, which are sixth in a series of annual trade event taking place at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre, feature seven halls of suppliers focused on six product segments. These include Baby & Children’s Products; Electronics; Garments & Textiles; Gifts & Premiums; Hardware & Building Materials, and Home Products. Global Sources, the organiser of the trade fair, said the event would help further boost the booming trade between China and the Middle East. Global Sources is a leading business-to-business media company and a primary facilitator of trade with Greater China. Trade between the UAE and China has grown by 35 per cent annually in the past decade to $36 billion in 2011. China is the biggest exporter to the GCC, and accounted for 15 per cent of the UAE imports in 2010. The China Sourcing Fair has become the largest China-products exhibition in the Middle East and North Africa region, catering to this demand. Also presnt at the inaugural ceremony were Zhang Yi, Commercial Counselor, Economic & Commercial Section, Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Dubai; Zhang Baojun, Chief Representative, CCPIT & CCOIC Office in the Gulf Area;  Abdul Rahman Saif Al Ghurair, Chairman of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and Tommy Wong, President of Global Sources Exhibition. “China is already the region’s second-largest trading partner, with trade from Qatar, Bahrain and Egypt expected to grow by 14 percent annually over the next five years,” said Tommy Wong, President of Global Sources Exhibitions. “By bringing quality China suppliers right here to Dubai — the region’s largest re-export market and gateway for trade — we are facilitating profitable trading opportunities between local buyers and China suppliers.” Highlighting China’s support for building trade ties with the MENA region, the provincial and municipal governments and other organisations sponsoring pavilions this year include Fujian, Hebei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Tianjin, Dalian, Yiwu, and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products. The event has support of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The China Sourcing Fairs are exclusively for importers, traders, and other volume buyers who purchase consumer products for resale to markets throughout the Mena region. Last year, 10,038 qualified buyers from over 80 countries attended the event.