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The world’s largest import fair has become a vital platform for Hong Kong firms to bypass traditional market entry barriers and secure business deals in mainland China, according to exhibitors from the city. Hong Kong exhibitors at the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai said they had secured new contacts with mainland manufacturers and even received investment inquiries from different cities. “Some mega mainland investors, including hospitals, are interested in our products and have asked us for collaboration during the expo,” said Wong Ho-yin, founder of HairCoSys, a start-up that uses AI technology to assess hair quality. Wong, whose company is part of HK Tech 300, an innovation programme launched by City University, said his participation in the annual expo provided a “golden chance” to showcase products to corporate clients rather than individual consumers. He added that his firm had collaborated with several private clinics in Hong Kong and was seeking opportunities to expand into the mainland market. “Apart from the large-scale investors, we also hope to approach the business sector, including clinics and salons on the mainland, which we usually find difficult to approach,” he said. “But they joined this expo given its mega scale, and we had a chance to meet them.” He noted that, aside from mainland parties, investors from several countries were also present at the six-day expo, which opened last Wednesday. “Investors from Singapore, Thailand and the UK have shown interest in us when we demonstrated our products [in the expo], which provides us with a chance to expand business not only on the mainland but also overseas,” he said. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu earlier highlighted that a record 380 Hong Kong companies from various industries took part in the show this year, representing a 30 per cent increase from 2024. Among other Hong Kong start-ups, Vismed Training echoed similar views, noting that it had already engaged with mainland authorities. “We have met mainland government authorities and have met management teams from a mainland hospital during the expo,” said Wu Aiyu, CEO of the start-up, which focuses on virtual reality medical training. As a first-time exhibitor, Wu said the expo offered the firm the chance to meet a range of stakeholders in one go – an opportunity that was much harder to achieve in normal business circumstances. She added that the company aimed to expand its business on the mainland, citing the substantial market potential and the stronger demand for anatomy simulation training centres there compared with Hong Kong. FreightAmigo, a Hong Kong firm that leverages logistics for financing services, said the expo provided a crucial platform to connect with various mainland companies interested in its offerings. “The expo allows us to meet customers from multiple provinces simultaneously, rather than having to travel to meet them individually,” said Tyrell Au, co-founder of the company. He added that the event had significantly raised the firm’s visibility within the mainland business sector. The expo, covering 430,000 square metres (4.6 million sq ft) at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre, attracted 4,108 companies from around the world, according to its organiser, the CIIE Bureau. Mainland companies signed a record US$83.5 billion in import deals at the expo this year, less than two weeks after the United States and China reached a trade truce.
