The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is participating in the ninth China International Import Expo (CIIE) for the first time as an exhibitor, aiming to strengthen its partnership with China and share its development experience globally, according to UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo.
In an interview with China Media Group in Beijing on Thursday, De Croo noted that the UNDP is not only an exhibitor but also a significant purchaser.
"Well, one of the reasons why we participate ourselves as an exhibitor at the expo is because we are a big purchaser. UNDP purchases approximately for 200 million U.S. dollars in products from Chinese suppliers. So that's an important factor. So besides the domain of how do we streamline trade throughout the world, and how do you make sure that trade has development impact, there's also a purely economic impact," he said.
He emphasized the broad range of goods procured and the strict standards required to carry out UNDP operations around the world, highlighting the important role of Chinese companies.
"So it's actually quite a broad spectrum of products that we purchase, going from pharmaceuticals to heavy equipment to electronics to renewable energy, there's a broad range of products that we purchase. And China plays an important role in that. Based on how good the Chinese companies are, when we purchase, we have a tender process. And in that tender process, you need to concur to a certain level of quality and then the cheapest price finally gets it. All this is part of a broader partnership, which we're building together with China. You should know that UNDP has been present in China for almost 50 years," he said.
Building on that history, the programme has recently taken another step forward in its cooperation with China.
On Nov 4th, the UNDP and the Government of China signed an agreement setting the framework for establishing and operating the UNDP Global Centre for Sustainable Development in Shanghai. The agreement marks an important step in strengthening international cooperation to help developing countries accelerate sustainable development.
Reflecting on the partnership, De Croo noted that the UNDP has been part of China's reforms and opening up.
"Many of the reforms that have made China what it is today, UNDP was part of that. I mean, we were part of the opening up. We were part of many of the fundamental reforms that have taken place. We are now at a moment where that partnership is shifting towards a more strategic partnership and the opening of our office in Shanghai, we will be opening a global policy center on sustainable development in Shanghai, really marks that, it marks our ambition to share the experience that we have developed together over those past 50 years to see, how can we share that with the rest of the world? How can the policy reforms that have taken place, the industrial changes that have taken place, how can we share that with the rest of the world as an example of how development can be accelerated?" he said.
This year's CIIE runs from Nov. 5 to 10. Launched in 2018 as the world's first national-level expo dedicated to imports, the CIIE has become an important gateway for foreign businesses seeking access to China's vast consumer and industrial markets.
UNDP sees Import Expo as platform to strengthen partnership with China: Administrator
