The exhibition promoting cooperation between 17 Central and Eastern European countries and China will be held in the city of Ninbo, China. Participation is free of charge, said the Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIAA).
Latvia has participated in this exhibition every year since 2015, but this year will be different. The exhibition will take place in digital format to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Latvian producers and traders of food, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, cosmetics, toys, as well as logistics and tourism service providers have applied for the exhibition. The companies will offer their goods and services to more than 10 000 buyers from China.
Applications to take part are still being accepted on the organizer's website, LIAA noted.
The online exhibition will include displays of products and services, customer information, supply and demand matching, online messaging, business coordination, and other activities and functions.
LIAA explained that communication between potential purchasers of products and services will be held on a special platform and use digital tools, such as Zoom and WeChat. Providers do not have to send product samples to China.
"Currently, restrictions in China are being reduced. Production and supply chains are being restored, but with the pandemic spread of the virus, not all product groups have been recovered in previous quantities. The situation is favorable for starting business in the Chinese market," said Agnese Stūrmane, advisor to the representative of LIAA in China.
The English language website of the event says: "China - CEEC Expo & International Consumer Goods Fair, guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, comprehensively implements and realizes the Belt and Road Initiative and the consensus reached on the leaderships meetings of China and CEEC."
The 17+1 is a Chinese initiative to activate cooperation with 12 EU Member States and 5 Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Northern Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia , Slovenia, Hungary) in the fields of investment, transport, finance, science, education and culture. China is Latvia's largest trading partner in the Far East.
In 2016, Riga hosted the then 16+1 summit, as reported by LSM at the time.
