This article was originally published on Finsbury.com
Hello from Finsbury Shanghai. From 5th to 10th in November Shanghai hosts the world’s largest fair in 2020 – despite a pandemic.
This is a big deal – for the city, for us and for our clients. Why?
This is the third time the Chinese government is inviting the world to its China International Import Expo – short CIIE.
Traditionally, Xi Jinping himself kicks it off himself and underlines China's push for a higher level of openness of the economy. It was on video this year.
The scale of CIIE is huge.
The whole exhibition area is as big as 50 football fields; Nearly 20% larger than in 2019
Last year, 700 media outlets from over 80 different countries registered.
Sectors covered are all the hot areas that foreign companies are known for in China: consumer goods, automobiles, trade in services, food and agriculture, intelligent industry and IT and healthcare and medical equipment
With all these superlatives, how can a company stick out of this massive crowd?
The attention from domestic media and public affairs representatives is high and gives foreign companies a unique opportunity to build their reputation in China.
Here are success factors communicators should follow:
*A strategic communications approach for and beyond CIIE that embeds the overall China business strategy,
*A diligent roll-out that takes into account the dynamic global political environment and
*A way to bridge offline to online, so the global C-suite can be there, despite travel restrictions
Last but not least, CIIE is also a pill for the health of the Chinese economy
It is seen as a special window to push forward the so called “Dual Circulation Growth Strategy”. This is a concept to remember. It’s the roadmap for China's economy for the next 20-30 years.
China will primarily aim to depend on "domestic circulation" for its economic development. The "international circulation", will play a secondary, facilitation role.
In simple words: China wants to rely less on the world, while it expects the world to rely more on China's supply.
Finally after CIIE 2020, we’re getting ready for next year. China wants to keep the ball rolling. Registrations are already open.
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