China Marine Economy Expo expects growing scale, impact

To date, a total of 2,247 enterprises and over 15,000 international buyers have confirmed attendance at the China Marine Economy Expo (CMEE) 2018, which will take place in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province from Nov 22 to 25.

The Ministry of Natural Resources has been brought on board to co-host this year's event with the Guangdong Provincial People's Government, and to bolster it as a high-level industrial gathering with wide-reaching influence.

In addition to national and industrial pavilions, the expo will earmark areas related to offshore exhibitions, tourism and culture, and commodity exhibition and sales. The latest achievements in maritime engineering equipment, marine energy resources, marine technology, port logistics, coastal tourism and marine biomedicine will be highlighted.

Meanwhile, models or real-life specimens of such national advanced marine equipment as icebreaker Xue Long, Xue Long 2, oceanographic research ship Xiangyanghong 10, Chinese coast guard vessels, and deep-sea survey equipment will be on display at the offshore exhibition area.

The China Foreign Trade Centre, the organizer of the China Import and Export Fair, will join in as a strategic partner. With its expertise and resources, it will invite international and domestic leading enterprises to showcase hi-tech products in the marine sci-tech achievement exhibition and transaction areas.

More than 100 roadshows, promotions, new products & technology releases, and matchmaking conferences will be held to bring exhibitors together with buyers, and enterprises with investment institutions, pushing turnover to new highs.

Major indexes of China's marine economy will be issued at the main forum, which will be addressed by heavyweights such as Yin Zhongqing, deputy director of the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress, and Wu Yousheng, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

The 12 sub-forums will invite representatives from renowned universities, large state-owned enterprises and commercial associations to exchange opinions on port logistics, marine big data, marine environment and ecological protection, modern fisheries, marine biomedicine and aquatic animal healthcare.

The CMEE, the only state-level comprehensive marine expo in China, has been held annually in Zhanjiang since 2014. Over the past five years, more than 11,000 enterprises from 83 countries have clinched deals worth some 200 billion yuan ($28.8 billion) at the international trade fair.