－－Wan Jifei

    Chairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) ,         

    China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC)

Preface to FAIRS & EXHIBITIONS IN CHINA

Exhibitions, as a barometer of national economy and a vane of industrial development, reflect the progress of national economy and the orientation of relevant industries, and play an active role in promoting the development of economic society.

On July 27, 2005, UN Expert Group on International Economic and Social Classifications announced in Paris that exhibition and meeting industry sector has been recognized as a distinct sector in their International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities, which clearly states the status of exhibition as a significant industry in the world.

In recent years, China's exhibition industry has maintained rapid growth with great changes in both quantity and quality of exhibitions. The number of show organizers and the scale of venues keep increasing, stimulating the development of relevant industries, such as hotels, catering, tourism, logistics, transportation, etc. Exhibition industry has become new point of economic growth for quite a few cities.

The recent Sixth Plenary Session of the 16th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) reviewed and adopted the Resolution on Major Issues Regarding the Building of a Harmonious Socialist Society, which is a guiding document of great importance for building a harmonious socialist society, representing the inner requirements to construct a prosperous, democratic and modem socialist country with high civilization and harmony, and the common will of the Chinese people. Building of harmonious socialist society is a strategic mission. We are endowed with historic opportunities with all advantages to realize harmonious socialist society. Currently, guided by the spirit of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 16th CPC Central Committee, the Chinese people are actively advancing and exploring new frontiers with devotion to promoting the construction of harmonious socialist society.

China's exhibition industry will not only meet new opportunities during the construction of harmonious socialist society, but also play an active part. Exhibition industry is influential in promoting economic and cultural development, employment and coordinated development of urban and rural areas, and different regions, and thus strengthens socialist construction. Exhibition industry helps promote communication, establishment of social security system, and in-crease awareness of the intellectual property rights (IPR) protection, and is thus propitious for the protection of social equity and justice Exhibition industry publicizes core value system of socialism, cultivates civilization and morality, creates healthy atmosphere of public opinions and thoughts, and thus makes for cultural harmony and consolidates the ideological and ethical basis for social harmony. Exhibition industry unites people, improves public administration, secures social stability, and maintains social order. Exhibition industry stimulates social creativity, improves social solidarity, creates pleasant outer environment, and promotes social unity and harmony. In conclusion, exhibition industry can make great contributions for the great cause of building harmonious socialist society, and accomplish new leaps.

Creating harmony in China's exhibition industry is a must as exhibition industry participates in the building of harmonious socialist society. Nowadays, inharmonious factors still exist in China's exhibition industry, such as faulty management, irregular operation, repetition in show organizing, deficiency in IPR protection, low credits in the industry with exhibition fraud that often happens, as well as uneven development of different regions, which the industry should make efforts to study and find some solutions. In 2005, Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi made a speech at the first China Expo Forum for International Cooperation (CEFCO), stressing that China should speed up the process of legalization, marketization, industrialization, and internationalization for the exhibition industry, which pointed out the direction for future development of the industry. This is also a guiding document for us to create harmonious exhibition industry. Following the principle of rule of law, we should strengthen the construction of exhibition legal system, standardize the order of exhibition market, amplify legal education for personnel in the industry, enhance the awareness of law, and create a favorable environment for the development of exhibition industry. We should also foster the spirit of realism, seek the rule of the market and industrial development, shift from administration-oriented to market-oriented, improve the industry's self-management, and encourages the industry's principal sectors to face broader international market. We should attach importance to the role of exhibition industry in promoting national economic development, strengthen the status of exhibition industry in national economic system, establish national industrial association, frame industrial standard and evaluation system, im-prove industrial chain, develop relevant service and the industry's service system. We should survey China's exhibition industry from an international view, enter overseas exhibition market, seek international cooperation, foster brand shows, and improve the international competitiveness of China's exhibition industry. The healthy development of exhibition industry needs full support from relevant industries, and the information release of exhibitions is absolutely necessary. The Exhibition Department of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) has made a point of editing Fairs & Exhibitions in China, which has grown for more than 10 years. Having become an important reference for all social sectors to size up the situation of China's exhibition industry and choose exhibitions to participate, this book plays a positive role in publishing information of China's domestic exhibitions, leading foreign and domestic companies to participate in exhibitions, and promoting economic and social benefits.

Fairs & Exhibitions in China 2007 collects 872 events to be held in 47 Chinese cities in 2007. I sincerely hope this book (FAIRS & EXHIBITIONS IN CHINA)could have certain contribution to the development of China's exhibition industry.                           

Source: CCPIT TEX