Through a collaboration between exporTT and First Caribbean Marketing Company Limited (FCMC), T&T is participating in the 5th China International Import Expo (CIIE).
The six-day event, which ends on Thursday, is being held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, China.
The event is a platform for international procurement, investment promotion and cultural exchanges, with around 145 countries participating.
The China International Import Expo (CIIE) debuted in 2018 as the world’s first national-level import-themed exhibition held in Shanghai, China.
More than 1,500 new products, technologies and services have been launched at the previous four CIIE events.
The fifth iteration of the event features six business exhibition areas – Food and Agricultural Products, Intelligent Industry and Information Technology, Medical Devices and Healthcare Products, Consumer Goods, Trade in Services and Automobiles.
New exhibition areas will open this year, showcasing the plant seed industry and the artificial intelligence industry. Also, hundreds of new consumer, agricultural, technological and service products will be launched.
World-class products proudly made in Trinidad and Tobago are on display in the T&T Pavilion.
Various goods from leading companies such as Angostura Limited; Associated Brands Industries Limited; The brand’s flagship products, Montano’s Chocolate Company; SugarCane Caribbean Products Limited; Trinidad and Tobago Fine Cocoa Company and Habanero Trinidad are on display.
Many of these products are already sold in overseas markets, including world-renowned Angostura Bitters, internationally acclaimed rums, and artisan cocoa and chocolate goods made from the country’s world-renowned Trinitario cacao.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the pavilion on Saturday, Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon highlighted the benefits of Trinidad and Tobago’s participation.
She noted that the event serves as a platform for T&T to showcase the richness of its culture, the diversity of its people and the uniqueness of its local products.
Gopee-Scoon highlighted the strong bilateral relationship between the two countries, noting that Trinidad and Tobago was the first English-speaking Caribbean country to sign the Belt and Road Initiative in 2018.
Since then, the two countries have cooperated on a number of different projects and programs in many economic sectors.
China is a major trading partner in Asia for Trinidad and Tobago with imports reaching approximately US$600 million ($4.1 billion) from China in 2021.
The main imported items include: iron and steel structures; vaccine; air-conditioned car parts and portable computers.
In 2021, Trinidad and Tobago also exported US$174 million ($1.2 billion) in products to China including methanol, aromatic bitters and asphalt.
Trinidad and Tobago’s presence at the Expo reinforces its commitment to improving bilateral trade relations and deepening trade ties with China, providing an excellent opportunity to promote trade and investment between the two countries.
