China takes aim at trade critics with import expo as US officials stay away
- The China International Import Expo is a bid to lure foreign investors with promises of greater market access
- The US has refused to send any senior government officials to the weeklong fair amid trade war
A large import fair that begins in Shanghai on Monday aims to send the message that China wants to buy more goods from abroad, even as US officials snub the event amid the trade war.
The government-backed China International Import Expo – Beijing’s latest attempt to woo foreign investors and companies with promises of greater market access – will be missing state leaders from the world’s seven most powerful industrialised countries.
The US has refused to send any senior government officials to the November 5-10 exposition as its tariff battle with China continues. Joining it in absentia are fellow G7 nations Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada.
Still, 180 American companies – from carmakers to a gourmet hot dog seller – will be among the more than 3,000 companies exhibiting at the fair, according to its website. Other participants include a number of big US brands caught in the trade war’s crossfire, including General Motors, Tesla, Qualcomm, Walmart and FedEx.
US alcohol retailers also will be there, as will Florida’s Jacksonville Port Authority and business associations such as the San Francisco-based Bay Area Council and the US Soybean Export Council.