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Frisbees join a long list of items that are deemed to put visitors to the expo at risk. Photo: Shutterstock

China bans frisbees, roller skates and kites from year’s biggest trade fair

Visitors to China International Import Expo in Shanghai will face long list of airport-style restrictions on what they can bring to the site

Visitors to China’s biggest trade fair of the year can leave their frisbees at home.

They joined kites, roller skates, bats and balls on a list of items banned from the massive trade show to be held in Shanghai on November 5-10.

The China International Import Expo aims to show off China’s zeal for imports and ease foreign concerns about its trade practices. Sceptical foreign business leaders want to see concrete policy changes to improve market access.

The government is sparing no effort to ensure the event, announced last year by President Xi Jinping, is a success and will impose tight security on the convention centre.

The state-run Shanghai Daily, the city’s official English-language newspaper, said on Tuesday police had banned a wide range of objects from the expo venue, including guns, explosives, daggers, fireworks, petrol and alcohol.
China is pulling out all the stops for the even. Photo: Reuters

The airport-like security measures will prohibit cigarette lighters and matches, drinks, drones and animals that are not guide dogs, the newspaper said.

“The expo will also ban banners, placards, billboards and other publicity material with political, ethnic, religious and commercial messages which contravene Chinese law,” it said.

Also on the list of banned items: syringes, liquid medicines, kites, umbrellas, luggage deemed “too large and not suitable”, large flags, sports rackets, roller skates and other “objects that could cause injury” … including frisbees.

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A total of 2,800 companies from the G20 member states, 50 countries and regions along the Belt and Road Initiative will participate in the expo.

On Monday, a special court was established in Shanghai for the expo.

The court will deal with four types of cases including civil and commercial cases concerning the expo, the conference and exhibition industry, the expo venue, and commercial cases concerning foreign affairs, Xinhua reported.

“The court will respect and apply international trade law and regulations, and strengthen protection of both domestic and foreign commercial subjects,” said Lin Xiaonie with the people’s court of Qingpu District in Shanghai.

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