Hainan gears up for upcoming China International Consumer Products Expo

As exhibition halls and booths near completion for the much-awaited fifth China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE), workers are readying for exhibits to arrive starting Friday.

As a key platform for global trade and consumption trends, the expo will take place in Haikou, the capital city of south China's Hainan Province, from April 13 to 18. The Hainan International Convention and Exhibition Center will continue to serve as the main venue for this year's expo, with additional duty-free shopping zones established at international duty-free complexes in Haikou and Sanya. A yacht exhibition will also be held in Sanya.

Co-hosted by China's Ministry of Commerce and the Hainan provincial government and themed "Share open opportunities, co-create a better life", this year's expo will feature expanded international participation.

Over 4,100 brands from 71 countries and regions have confirmed participation, including 65 Fortune 500 companies and industry leaders, surpassing last year's numbers.

With the opening day fast approaching, workers are racing against the clock to complete the exhibition setups.

"By prefabricating the materials in the factory, we only need to assemble them on site, which makes the process more efficient. For example, this exhibition hall started construction on April 5 and was completed on April 9. We will begin setting up the exhibits tomorrow (April 10)," said Tang Wengang, a project manager for the expo.

This year's expo continues to adhere to Hainan's commitment to green practices, with all materials used for the expo requiring an environmental clearance and strict restrictions on cutting or noisy operations on site.

"All our materials used in the construction are environmentally friendly and reusable," said Mao Min, another project manager for the expo.

"I've been attending the expo for four years. Compared to previous editions, the setup speed this year is much faster, and the safety inspections are also more stringent," said Ma Qi, project manager of an exhibition planning company from south China's Guangzhou City.

The CICPE is China's only national-level exhibition featuring consumer products, and is the largest consumer expo in the Asia-Pacific region.

Hainan gears up for upcoming China International Consumer Products Expo

Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez said on Sunday that the country is at a critical stage and must achieve national unity, emphasizing that maintaining internal cohesion is of utmost importance.

In a televised address, Rodriguez called on the public to continue trusting the government under the current highly complex political circumstances.

Her statement comes in the wake of a January 3 military operation conducted by the United States, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were taken into custody and flown out of the country.

The operation resulted in at least 100 fatalities.

Rodriguez, who was sworn in as acting president two days later on January 5, framed her appeal for unity against this backdrop of external intervention.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Minister of Communication and Information Freddy Nanez denounced the U.S. actions as a "war crime of the 21st century" when speaking at an international cultural event on Sunday.

Nanez condemned not only the January 3 airstrikes but also the associated cyber and electromagnetic attacks.

He accused the United States of violating international law through the forced removal of President Maduro and his wife, while attacks on civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, represent a flagrant breach of humanitarian norms.

He reiterated that the stigmatization and military attacks against Venezuela are driven by economic interests, particularly the desire to control its abundant natural resources.

Venezuelan acting president calls for national unity amid complex situation