Preparations completed for 6th China International Consumer Products Expo

Tickets for the open days of the sixth China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE), which will be held in south China's Hainan Province from April 13 to 18, started selling on Tuesday.

The event will be held at the Hainan International Convention and Exhibition Center in Haikou City. Besides the main venue in Haikou, the expo will include two sub-venues in Sanya and the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone.

Preparations for transport, catering, accommodation and security services and emergency response during the event have been fully completed, according to a press conference on Tuesday.

"We have established a dedicated rapid response mechanism for the expo, focusing on key areas such as traffic guidance, food safety, public health and emergency response. We have advanced contingency plans and pre-positioned support forces to ensure that we can detect, respond to, handle problems and give feedback as quickly as possible. We will make every effort to ensure a smooth and orderly expo and ensure the safe and efficient operation of the cities," said Zheng Hailong, deputy secretary-general of the Haikou Municipal People's Government.

Haikou Customs have introduced 16 favorable policies to provide smooth and efficient clearance services for the expo.

"We have set up dedicated channels and service windows for the expo and carried out appointment-based customs clearance around the clock to ensure efficient declaration, inspection and testing. We have also worked with ports, logistics companies and exhibition organizers to guarantee that exhibits can be quickly received, inspected and released," said Guo Jianmeng, director of the Port Supervision Department at Haikou Customs.

Preparations completed for 6th China International Consumer Products Expo

Preparations completed for 6th China International Consumer Products Expo

Even under assumptions that the U.S.-Israel war on Iran does not persist past April and that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz gradually resumes, the world will face the pressure of rising oil prices throughout this year, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Tuesday.

In its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook released on Tuesday, the EIA raised the forecast of Brent crude oil spot price for 2026 to 96 U.S. dollars per barrel from the previous forecast of 79 U.S. dollars a barrel.

Retail gasoline and diesel prices will continue the rising trend this year, said the outlook.

The outlook maintains a risk premium on crude oil prices throughout the forecast period, as the EIA expects uncertainty around future supply disruptions to keep prices above pre-conflict levels.

"Once flows through the Strait of Hormuz resume, we assume it will take time to resolve the backlog and disruption to oil tanker routes and trade flows and that the potential for future disruptions will remain at risk and create a premium in the oil price," it said.

US Energy Information Administration forecasts rising oil prices throughout 2026