LANZHOU, July 10 (Xinhua) — The 30th China Lanzhou Investment and Trade Fair (CLZITF) concluded on Wednesday in northwest China’s Gansu Province, with deals worth about 604 billion yuan (about 84.7 billion U.S. dollars) inked.
The figure is 7.7 percent higher than that for last year’s edition of the trade fair.
First held in 1993 in the provincial capital Lanzhou, the CLZITF has emerged as a major event for Belt and Road economic and trade cooperation.
Last year it attracted more than 1,600 enterprises from home and abroad, and the figure surpassed 2,200 during this year’s edition.
“Over the past decade, Lanzhou has undergone great changes. The trade fair has also attracted an increasing number of enterprises from various countries and regions,” said Maryna Anikeyeva, an entrepreneur from Belarus, who attended the fair in 2014 for the first time as a member of the Belarusian trade delegation.
This year, Anikeyeva, general manager of JSC “Molochny Mir,” a multinational operating in the dairy product sector across over 30 countries and regions, visited Gansu to seek more partners and expand their presence in the local market.
“A dairy company in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture of Gansu has invited us to visit their factory and discuss cooperation details,” she said.
Local specialties of Gansu, such as Lanzhou beef noodles, edible sweet lilies and wine, were highly appreciated by many international exhibitors.
During a promotion event for Lanzhou beef noodles on July 8, 54 agreements were signed, totaling nearly 5.77 billion yuan, covering cooperation in pre-packaged and overseas sales.
Michel Marqueton, chairman of the French recreational vehicle manufacturer SCI VIBRAYE, was among the signatories. His company plans to deploy mobile food trucks to introduce Lanzhou beef noodles in Europe.
The company also plans to establish a production base in France for growing vegetables, producing seasonings and providing relevant technical training, according to Marqueton.
During this investment and trade fair, RUE “Beltamozhservice,” a state-owned logistics company in Belarus, signed a cooperation agreement with the operation management company of Wuwei bonded logistics center in Gansu, aiming to enhance cooperation on railway logistics and bonded warehouses.
“China is our important business partner,” said Dzmitry Kavalionak, general manager of RUE “Beltamozhservice,” adding that the China-Europe freight train service has become an important logistics and transport channel to promote the economic and trade development of the two countries.
Marcos Lisandro Pérez Machado, vice governor of Florida Province in Uruguay, described this year’s Lanzhou trade fair as “extremely large-scale” and “highly innovative.”
“For many years, the CLZITF has provided a wealth of business opportunities for merchants from home and abroad. We hope that we can carry out closer and higher-quality comprehensive cooperation in the future,” Machado said.