The 16th China International Small and Medium Enterprises Fair will help companies find solutions to common issues, expand their market and attract greater attention, according to the organizers of the event.

A news conference for the fair was held in Beijing on Monday announcing the event's overall planning and preparations. Wang Jiangping, vice-minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said: "This year's fair will offer SMEs an unparalleled international platform."

Running from June 24 to 27, the fair will be held in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province, hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the People's Government of Guangdong Province.

Nearly 3,000 companies, both domestic and from more than 30 overseas countries and regions, are expected by organizers to attend the fair, which is also expected to attract more than 200,000 visitors.

Wang said the event will focus on problems faced by SMEs and establish an innovation service exhibition area for the first time. Different regions will arrange for technological transfer associations, providers of intelligent manufacturing solutions and financial service enterprises to participate in the exhibition.

He said the organizers of the fair are aware of the importance of financing, marketing and market cooperation for SMEs, and thus have arranged for support activities covering these areas.

Organizers hope SMEs can receive real help and quality services at the fair, Wang said.

Resources from national industry and information technology authorities will also have a presence at the fair, so purchasers from SMEs can get a better feel of what is available to them in the market.

Guilds and chambers of commerce will also hold supply and demand matching events.

The fair will be held online as well, so that SMEs can use the platform digitally as well as in the real world. SMEs can showcase quality products, technologies and services online on the fair's website, cismef.com. In the modern world, doing business online is essential and enables companies to expand their markets and increase growth, said Wang.

To attract greater attention to the event, the organizers will host a range of activities, including an SME summit forum, an SME crossborder matchmaking and negotiation meeting and an SME investment and financing forum. Participants in the activities will take part in exchanges and showcase the newest scientific and technological trends in emerging industries.

Such activities will attract domestic and foreign startups, investors, entrepreneurs, government agencies, SME service organizations, purchasers and business associations, organizers said.

They said the fair, as a window for Chinese SMEs to expand abroad and for foreign SMEs to develop in China, has attracted active participation from many companies both from home and abroad.

This year, the fair's 2,533 exhibition booths will be filled by companies and organizations from China and other 31 countries and regions.

Fiji will join the exhibition, as the first Pacific island country to attend the fair, the organizers said.

See Chee Kong, minister from the embassy of Malaysia in China, said at the news conference in Beijing that the trade relationship between China and Malaysia dates back more than 2,000 years, when the two nations traded crops and silk. Today, China has become Malaysia's largest trade partner.

Malaysia has attended the fair for many years and co-hosted the fair in 2015. The event has been greatly welcomed and utilized by Malaysian exhibitors, the minister said. To date, more than 70 Malaysian companies have applied to attend this year's fair and more companies are expected to apply, covering fields of food, health products, real estate and tourism.

The 2019 fair will also feature new areas aimed at boosting the high-quality development of SMEs. A special exhibition will be set up with 1,028 booths displaying the newest achievements in promoting SMEs' high-quality development, featuring nearly 900 excellent SMEs and also their products.

The SMEs include companies incubated in entrepreneurship and innovation centers and innovation-type small and micro businesses invested in by a national SME fund.

This year's fair has made efforts to attract participants from more countries and regions to help SMEs win more business opportunities. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization will attend the event as an honorary guest.

A micro, small and medium-sized enterprises conference will be held during the fair, where the policies that each country uses to support such companies will be shared. The conference will help to create a better understanding of company development and promote the companies to further open up, communicate and integrate.

Some activities focusing on the Belt and Road Initiative will be held, including a forum on the digital Silk Road, and a cooperation and communication meeting.

Business associations and companies from South American countries like Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Chile have been invited to take part in exchanges with Chinese companies.

songmengxing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 05/22/2019 page7)