From June 18 to 20, 2019, for the fourth time at the Expocentre, the Ministry of Commerce of China and Messe Frankfurt RUS organized an international business platform for connecting manufacturers and distributors of consumer goods, representatives of wholesale and retail chains, and small and medium-sized businesses from various countries.
About the Trade Fair
In 2019, the International Commodity Fair featured the annual National Exhibition of Quality Consumer Goods from China (China Commodity Fair), the Russian Export Platform, as well as pavilions from companies from Serbia, Kyrgyzstan, and the United Arab Emirates, all focusing on exports.
Results and Statistics
A total of 450 companies participated in International Commodity Fair 2019: manufacturers of household appliances, home and garden goods, children's products and toys, gifts and souvenirs, health and beauty products, handicrafts, food products, as well as service companies specializing in foreign economic activity. Among them were: 330 participants from China, 82 exhibitors from Russian regions, 29 individual booths, and 9 participants from the Unified Consulting Center.
A total of 9,410 representatives from business circles and government agencies from 33 countries and 80 regions of Russia attended meetings with manufacturers, suppliers of consumer goods, and service companies.
On June 18 and 19, the exhibition hosted three formats of B2B negotiations: the Retail Chains Purchasing Center™, the Business Contact Club, and the Circle of Success. Across the three venues, more than 1,500 direct negotiations took place between suppliers and buyers of consumer goods.
In 2019, the trade fair showed solid growth: compared to 2018, the number of participants increased by 50% and the number of visitors grew by 17%. Other achievements include a 186% increase in the number of pre-scheduled and conducted meetings, a 77% increase in business program speakers, a 19% increase in country participation, and a 27% increase in international visitors.
National Exhibition of Goods from China
As part of the International Commodity Fair 2019, 330 Chinese consumer goods manufacturers showcased the export potential of China’s consumer market. In addition to the largest Chinese factories focused on OEM and ODM, the exhibition featured well-known international brands such as Haier, Hisense, Midea, Tuya Smart, South Overseas Apparel (Shanghai), Galanz, YD Illumination, Shinko, ZTE, Gree, Skyworth, and others.
In 2019, within the framework of the International Commodity Fair project, the export potential of the Chinese consumer goods market was showcased by 330 consumer goods manufacturers. In addition to the largest Chinese factories focused on OEM and ODM production, well-known international brands took part in the exhibition, such as Haier, Hisense, Midea, Tuya Smart, South Overseas Apparel (Shanghai), Galanz, YD Illumination, Shinko, ZTE, Gree, Skyworth, and others.
In the closed business zone of the Retail Chains Purchasing Center™, Chinese participants held 579 meetings with representatives of Russian and international retail chains, including Auchan, Tvoy Dom, Top Shop, Tekhnolyuks, Begemot, SPAR, Svetofor, and others. All meetings were supported by professional Chinese language interpreters. The Retail Chains Purchasing Center™ was organized by the congress and exhibition company "Imperiya."
For exhibition visitors, a special China Innovation Brand Zone was organized. All three days, anyone interested could get acquainted with the latest home appliances and electronics and hold negotiations with representatives of leading Chinese brands.
The exhibition venue featured a Smart Home Display Zone, headlined by Tuya Smart—one of the largest "AI + IoT" developers. Company representatives gave presentations on new products and services for home, office, and business.
All three days of the exhibition, the Shaking Tech blogger group gave presentations of high-tech products from China, including a translation earpiece, a mind-controlled autonomous drone, and a transforming robot.
The Chinese National Pavilion was organized with support from the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, the Department of Trade Development of the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC, the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, the Department of Trade Development of Shandong Province, the committees of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade of Pudong (Shanghai) and Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, as well as Messe Frankfurt Shanghai.
Russian Export Platform
For the first time at the International Commodity Fair, Russian federal and regional producers of consumer goods with an export focus presented their latest achievements, eco-friendly products, and folk crafts to international business.
82 export-oriented companies participated in the Russian national exposition, presenting their products at 17 collective regional stands. Participating regions included the Republic of Tuva, Vladimir, Pskov, Kaliningrad, Yaroslavl, Kaluga, Lipetsk, Tomsk, Arkhangelsk, Tver, Saratov, Bryansk, Voronezh, Novosibirsk, and Irkutsk regions, Krasnodar and Krasnoyarsk Krais.
Within the Business Contact Club, Russian exporters held 700 direct negotiations with 14 major trading companies from China and 8 wholesale chains from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Buyers included: Beijing Trading Company Xianshi Changrun, Bambi and Credit Asia, Heihe Ihongjin Trading Company, Jingfulai Trading Company, Shengchen Cuifenhe Trading Company, Beijing Jing Yi, Shanghai S&C International Trade Co., Ltd., Net Profit Sales, MEGASTROY Astana, and others.
Russian consumer goods manufacturers also held 243 business meetings with Russian retail chains—both federal and regional—within the Circle of Success. Participants met with retail chains such as Azbuka Vkusa, Verny, Daily, Okroshka, Gradusy, Molodezhny, Sgomon, and others. Negotiations were supported by event organizers—the TRADE EXPERT GROUP company.
In the Russian exporters' zone, exhibition visitors could experience VR technologies at the Production Safety Technologies (PST) company's booth. Company representatives presented their latest developments in virtual reality and gave presentations of new VR products and services. Official Events
On June 18, the opening ceremony was held with representatives of state institutions and associations from Russia and China. In a formal setting, the exhibition participants and visitors were welcomed by:
Ms. Zhao Qiuyuan, Economic and Trade Counsellor of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Russian Federation
Mr. Jia Gouyong, Deputy Director General of the Department of Trade Development, Ministry of Commerce of the PRC
Boris Titov, Presidential Commissioner for Entrepreneurs’ Rights of the Russian Federation
Ms. Zhang Jing, Deputy Secretary General of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products
Alexander Borisov, Chairman of the CCI RF Committee on Consumer Market Development
Nikolai Gusev, First Deputy General Director of AO "Expocentre"
After the opening ceremony, world-famous Chinese brands—Haier, Midea, Hisense, CHiQ, Gree, Skyworth, Shinco, Arcair, Galanz, and Vanward—participated in the awarding ceremony for leading Chinese manufacturers of electronics and home appliances: the China Home Appliance & Consumer Electronics Innovation Award 2019. Co-organizers of the event included the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, the Russia-China Chamber of Commerce for the Promotion of Machinery, Technological, and Innovative Products, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, and news portals 4PDA and iXBT. During the event, representatives of Tuya Smart and ZTE gave presentations and showcased their latest developments to distinguished guests.
On June 18, the development of non-resource goods export-import relations was actively discussed at a joint session of the Club of Heads of Trade and Economic Missions (Embassy departments) of foreign countries accredited in Moscow and the Council of Heads of Regional Representations of the President and Government of the Russian Federation. The session was attended by representatives from the embassies of 37 foreign countries and 35 offices of Russian Federation regions.
Speakers at the session included representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation; the Russian Export Center (REC), the Moscow Export Center (MEC), the Federal Customs Service, Russian Railways (RZD), the Representative Office of the Kaliningrad Region Government to the Russian Government, the Development Corporation of the Middle Urals, the Investment Development Agency of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Embassy of the Republic of Austria in the Russian Federation, the Gao You Municipal Committee, and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. The session also saw the ceremonial signing of a memorandum between the International Council for Regional Economic Cooperation and the Representative Office of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade in the Russian Federation.
For the fourth time, the International Forum "Practice of Trade Cooperation" opened as part of the International Commodity Fair. On June 18–19, Russian and international business representatives discussed current issues of import and export of consumer goods: entering foreign markets, logistics and product certification, risks of working with foreign suppliers, intellectual property protection, state support measures, and other aspects of foreign economic activity. Forum speakers in 2019 included representatives from the Russian Export Center and Moscow Export Center, Ozon, heads of industry committees of Opora Russia, Gordon and Sons Agency, the Association of Small and Medium Exporters, the Epinduo.com platform, and Dmitry Kovpak, an expert in working with China.
Throughout all days of the exhibition, the Unified Consulting Center was available for visitors and participants of International Commodity Fair 2019. Participating companies helped with logistics and customs clearance, foreign economic activity financing, and other aspects of cooperation with foreign partners. Participants included KVT Service, AMTEK, Kitlogistic, Buydana.com, and Sharjah Airport International Free Zone.
Official Events
On June 20, the third day of the International Commodity Fair, the Festival of Chinese Culture and Traditions (International Commodity Fair 2019) was held at Expocentre.
A vibrant cultural program was prepared by student members of the Russian-Chinese Association "Kitaniya" at the Faculty of Philology of RUDN University. Students presented audiovisual performances: traditional dances, songs, short plays, and poems in Chinese.
On the festival stage, musicians from the "Two Empires" club, Anastasia Novoselova and Svetlana Plakasova, performed Chinese classical music on ancient instruments: the guqin and xiao flute. A musical piece on the guzheng was also performed by Suzhou University graduate Xue Jing. The Chinese folk dance was prepared by international competition and festival laureates, artists of the exemplary choreographic ensemble "Sirin."
The culmination of the festival was demonstration performances of Shaolin kung fu and qigong. Warrior monk Shi Yanwang and students of Master Shi Yanbin’s School demonstrated their skills to the audience.
The event included a calligraphy and painting master class. Andrey Shcherbakov, a teacher at the "Two Empires" Oriental Painting Club, introduced guests to this ancient art. Visitors also had the chance to learn the game Go at a master class by the Moscow Go Federation.
A special tea ceremony zone was prepared for festival guests with tastings of the best varieties of Chinese tea. Representatives of the DAO Tea House explained all the nuances of the tea ceremony, including ways and timing of brewing, differences in varieties, and special rituals.
At the end of the festival, a quiz on the history and culture of China was held, prepared by the "Kitaniya" Association and the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University. Guests of the festival received memorable gifts and souvenirs.
The festival was organized jointly with the Russian-Chinese Association "Kitaniya" (at the RUDN Faculty of Philology), the “Two Empires” Oriental Culture Club, Master Shi Yanbin's Kung Fu Qigong School, the Moscow Go Federation, and the exemplary “Sirin” choreographic ensemble.
Exhibition Partners
The exhibition was officially supported by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, Expocentre, the Far East Agency for Investment Attraction and Export Support, the Russia-China Committee of Friendship, Peace and Development, the Association of Small and Medium Exporters of Russia, the Association for the Promotion of Business Contacts "Chinese Business Center," the Interregional Cooperation Agency, the Russia-China Chamber of Commerce for the Promotion of Machinery, Technology and Innovation Trade, the Association of Internet Trading Companies, and other Russian and international organizations and media.
Professional linguistic support for exhibitors and visitors was provided by students of Chinese from the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN) and Moscow State Linguistic University.