Allan Gabor, chair of the AmCham Shanghai Board of Governors, on Wednesday highlighted the abundant opportunities for cooperation between China and the United States in agriculture, environmental protection, and sustainable development at the China International Import Expo (CIIE).
Gabor, who has attended five editions of the CIIE, praised the expo for its role in promoting international commerce.
"Honestly, what really impresses me is that CIIE has remained true to its purpose about demonstrating the openness of China to the world in terms of trade," said Gabor, acknowledging that many AmCham members perceive China as being quite open.
Last year marked a significant milestone for AmCham Shanghai, as it partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to create a dedicated booth, resulting in 500 million U.S. dollars in trade deals. This year, the expanded booth features 14 exhibitors, including new companies and trade associations, showcasing the best of American products.
Gabor is confident that the expo this year will bring a better result.
"This year, we're optimistic that we're gonna do an excess of 400 million [U.S. dollars]. The booth is actually much bigger. We have 14 different exhibitors. It's really branding USA everywhere here, some of the best of what we have to offer from the United States, many new companies, many new trade associations, USA Potatoes, the Washington State Trade Association, but also many small, medium enterprises that wouldn't normally be able to come to China. We provide them the infrastructure, the space, the organization to help them showcase their really excellent products," said Gabor.
Gabor underscored the importance of on-the-spot engagement at the expo, stating that it creates significant opportunities.
"I think there are many new opportunities here. That's why I'm saying we have a pretty good indication of 400 million so far. My guess is it's going to be in excess of that, because of this on-the-spot engagement. We have many provincial buying groups from all over China coming to visit our members here this week," said Gabor.
Looking ahead, Gabor expressed strong optimism about future U.S.-China cooperation, particularly in agriculture, food safety, biosecurity, and sustainability.
"I think it's still very promising. It's not only a question of good products that are coming from the U.S., but there are other things that we can do to support, agriculture, food safety, in terms of biosecurity and sustainability. These are areas where the global citizenry wins, and there are opportunities to collaborate between U.S. and China, and it is very important area for all of us. So very discrete trade opportunities which you see here, but even beyond that to different kinds of services and support that we could provide each other," said Gabor.
The CIIE is the world's first national-level exposition dedicated to imports. Running from November 5 to 10 under the theme of "New Era, Shared Future," the 7th CIIE has attracted participants from 152 countries, regions and international organizations to participate in its country exhibition and business exhibition.
China, USA have abundant opportunities for cooperation: chair of AmCham Shanghai
