Zhuhai expo gives birth to mutual economic bonanza

Hundreds of Latin enterprises at the recent China-Latin America & Caribbean International Exposition have Zhuhai-based Little Cola Technology Co Ltd, an electric-vehicle pioneer, charged up to enter that overseas market.

Headquartered in Xiangzhou District, Little Cola provides world-leading intelligent solutions in EV charging. Representing Zhuhai's advanced hi-tech sector, it displayed product updates including its latest portable charger.

The bright-yellow device uniquely allows two charging modes, one an emergency quick charge. Moreover, with a cell phone app developed with the company's core technology, consumers can instantly check charge status, or reserve the nearest parking space with a charging post in real time, said Xu Runze, marketing director of the company.

Little Cola's supporting EV Charging Management Platform, which enables operators to monitor running conditions and immediately address any problems, was also a draw at the expo. It reportedly has been used to access more than 13,000 charging posts erected by 45 enterprises around the country.

Little Cola portable charger 

Li Xiang, Little Cola general manager, stated the company's ambition to expand internationally earlier this year. Since then, a branch office has been set up in North America.

With so many Latin American enterprises showing strong interest, entering the market will be taken seriously, said Xu. He added that, due to feedback and quality information from dealers at the event, a reasonable market layout can now be made.

Sharing the limelight was Zhuhai-based Gree Electric Appliances. The world's leading refrigerator manufacturer added more potential investors to its international trading network.

Gree and Little Cola were just two beneficiaries of the three-day first-of-its-kind trading expo, which included 50,000 entrepreneurs, officials, and business magnates.

Among them there were some 2,500 distinguished guests who shared industry insights with 523 enterprises and organizations from 61 countries. There were 339 foreign companies accounting for 64 percent of the total. Twenty-four of the highest-profile countries and regions in Latin America were represented by 252 firms. They include Sociedad Química y Minerva de Chile, an international chemical firm, and Marcopolo SA, the largest bus manufacturer in Brazil.

China-Latin America & Caribbean Int'l Expo

According to the organizing committee, 94 companies from the Chinese mainland along with 90 from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan gave a composite account of China's economic and trade development. Prime exhibitors included China National Offshore Oil Corp, the country's largest offshore oil and gas producer; Sany Heavy Industry, a multinational manufacturer; and Foxconn, the Taiwanese manufacturing giant.

Mexico, an important guest country, was represented by a hundred officials and business people. Enrique Solana Sentíes, president of the Mexico General Chamber of Commerce, was there to extend economic and trade cooperation and broaden friendly ties.

There were also 87 exhibitors from nations along the Belt & Road overland route such as India, Iran, and Turkey.

A display that garnered particular attention contained exquisite sugar bowls, vases, and other containers made in Isfahan. A provincial capital city south of Tehran, Isfahan is known for fine carpets and handicrafts. An exhibitor who gave his name as Seyed anticipated that the broad exposure at the exhibition would lead to more Iranian craft products and a sense of Iranian culture being exported to China.

Sophisticated handicrafts from Iran

In all, 73 projects valued at 3.2 billion yuan ($490 million) were announced at the exhibition. There were 14 conferences, 530 meetings and business discussions, and song-and-dance performances.

Wang Xiaobin, director of the Zhuhai Bureau of Commerce, said the expo was China's first to target Latin America and the Caribbean states, and was perhaps the most extensive economic and trade activity with the most foreign guests from the greatest number of countries and regions in Zhuhai's history.

Wang added that the expo embodied pragmatic cooperation between China, Latin American, and Caribbean nations, and countries along the Belt & Road, and will continue to be a promising international event.