Asian pavilions packed with business deals

At the ongoing 2019 South and Southeast Asia Commodity Expo and Investment Fair in Kunming, Yunnan province, two Asian pavilions were set up: the Southeast Asia Pavilion and the South Asia Pavilion. And both were packed with business deals these days. 

"My business revenue during the 7-day investment fair in Kunming is equal to that in a month in Nepal," said Pema Dhoj, a Nepalese exhibitor in the South Asian Pavilion. 

Actually, Pema is just one of the hundreds of South Asian exhibitors who have joined the annual Yunnan fairs these years for the sound business environment and huge market potential in the province.

Pema has been to China for 26 times, and now his products have presence at the Chinese online market of Alibaba. “In Nepal, I own a factory and run a web porter. And I have confidence in the Chinese market,” he said.

At the Indian exhibition area, staff members with international business organizations were greeting and talking with buyers. This year, 125 SMEs from New Delhi, Kolkata and Dehradun joined the fair. 

"This trade fair is a good opportunity for Indian companies and business associations. At the trade fair, our products are exposed to Chinese consumers and exhibitors from other countries.”

Indian businessman Subhash has been engaged in international exhibitions for ten years, and he said the trade fair is a good place to meet business partners in the region.

In the bustling Southeast Asia Pavilion, a diversity of exotic products and customs entertained the fair visitors a lot.

The pavilion features 10 plus categories of products for daily use, including Myanmar jades, Cambodian gemstones, Thai ornaments, wood carvings, fine furniture, and others.

"We come to the Kunming fair first this year. We want to make Cambodia better know in terms of its economy, history, culture and customs, while meeting like-minded investment partners," said a Cambodian exhibitor. 

At the Vietnamese exhibition area, a shoe booth displaying special sandals, slippers and sneakers, were surrounded by Chinese visitors. And the owner said she believes in the Chinese market potential in e-commerce, offering the buyers a QR code of the Taobao online shopping site.

In the busy pavilion, people kept on chatting, bargaining, reaching deals, and waving good bye. 

Reporting by Liu Yanqin and Li Zha; trans-editing by Wang Shixue