China's exhibition industry shows steady growth in 2024: report

China's economic and trade exhibition sector experienced steady growth in 2024, with a total of 3,844 events held, according to a report released by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) on Friday.

The report was released at the 20th China Expo Forum for International Cooperation (CEFCO), a key annual event in the global exhibition industry, which opened in north China's Tianjin Municipality on Thursday.

Themed "Empowering a Sustainable Future with New Quality Productive Forces," the three-day forum has attracted over 600 industry professionals from 20 countries and regions, including China, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, with participants sharing insights and discussing the future prospects of the global exhibition industry.

The report shows that in 2024, a total of 3,844 economic and trade exhibitions was held nationwide (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions), with a total exhibition area of 155 million square meters.

The number of exhibitions remained basically the same as the previous year, while the exhibition area increased by 10.1 percent year on year. The average exhibition area per exhibition increased from 35,900 square meters in 2023 to 40,300 square meters, an increase of 12.3 percent.

"In terms of exhibition scale distribution, it has continued to optimize. In 2024, the number of small exhibitions with an area of 10,000 square meters or less dropped sharply, a year-on-year decrease of 25.8 percent; the number of large and medium-sized exhibitions with areas of 50,000 to 100,000 square meters increased significantly, a year-on-year increase of 11.8 percent," said Wu Shengrong, head of the department of exhibition under the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

The report also shows that China's outbound exhibitions are showing a strong momentum of development. In 2024, the number of overseas exhibition projects approved by CCPIT and actually fulfilled reached 1,166, including 99 overseas exhibitions hosted by Chinese units. These projects involved 68 organizers and more than 50,000 exhibitors from 60 countries or regions.

The top three countries in terms of the number of China's outbound exhibition projects in 2024 are Germany, the United States, and Russia.

"We don't look at it as competitiveness, we look at it as cooperation. I do think that our industry, more than many industries, recognize that if the China trade show industry is strong, and the U.S. trade show industry is strong, we all benefit. I do feel that the collaboration is increasing, and I think that 2025 is really (great). The optimism is that we can all have a great year, this coming year," said Vincent Polito, CEO of Society of Independent Show Organizers.

China's exhibition industry shows steady growth in 2024: report

The Navy of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said that the Strait of Hormuz has been blocked since Saturday evening and will not reopen until the United States lifts its naval blockade on the waterway.

In a statement carried by its official news outlet Sepah News, the IGRC said that the move came after the United States violated its commitments under the two-week ceasefire, which took effect on April 8, and failed to end its naval blockade against Iranian vessels and ports.

The IRGC Navy called on all vessels and their owners to follow official updates via its channel and VHF Channel 16, the international maritime distress, safety, and calling frequency. The statements by U.S. President Donald Trump hold no credibility in the strait and the Gulf, it added.

The IRGC warned that no vessel should move from its anchorage in the Gulf or the Gulf of Oman, and any approach to the strait would be deemed "cooperation with the enemy" and targeted accordingly.

Tehran's political leadership echoed the IRGC's firm position. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf asserted that the Strait of Hormuz is under Iran's control, revealing that during previous negotiations, Iran had firmly countered U.S. attempts to carry out minesweeping operations, which Tehran viewed as a ceasefire violation.

He said the situation had come close to conflict, but the U.S. had eventually backed off.

Calling the U.S. maritime blockade "reckless and ignorant," Ghalibaf warned that passage through the strait would certainly be restricted if Washington does not lift the blockade.

Underpinning these public announcements, Iran's Supreme National Security Council on Saturday affirmed the country's resolve to exercise control and supervision over traffic through the Strait of Hormuz until the war is definitively ended and lasting peace is achieved in the region.

For its part, the United States pressed ahead with its own military measures.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on Saturday that the U.S. military is imposing a maritime blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports and nearby coastal areas. Since the blockade began on April 13, 23 ships have complied with U.S. directions to turn around.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military is preparing in the coming days to board Iran-linked oil tankers and seize commercial ships in international waters, The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing U.S. officials.

The move will enable the U.S. to take control of Iran-linked vessels around the world, including ships carrying Iranian oil that are already sailing outside the Persian Gulf and those carrying arms that could support Tehran, the report said.

Iran's IRGC says Strait of Hormuz blocked, demands end to US naval blockade