Tech war: China to host first supply chain expo to bolster global position amid US ‘de-risking’

Name: An unwinnable conflict? The US-China trade war, 5 years on
Uploaded: 2023-06-11T10:30:11.000Z
Duration: 14 min 45 s
Description: An unwinnable conflict? The US-China trade war, 5 years on

The China International Supply Chain Expo is expected to attract more than 300 local and foreign exhibitors, including those from the US

The event, scheduled for later this year, will focus on smart cars, green agriculture, clean energy, digital technology and healthy living

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Cars to be loaded for export at Yantai port in east China’s Shandong province. Photo: Xinhua

Coco Fengin Beijing

Published: 6:30pm, 11 Jun 2023

The inaugural China International Supply Chain Expo is set to kick off in Beijing on November 28, as the world’s second-largest economy seeks to protect its key role in global manufacturing amid intensified trade restrictions imposed by the United States and its allies.

The five-day event, which is themed “connecting the world for a shared future”, aims to “help Chinese firms participate more deeply in the global industrial division of labour” and “promote the building of resilient global supply chains”, said Ren Hongbin, chairman of the state-backed China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), the expo’s organiser.

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An unwinnable conflict? The US-China trade war, 5 years on

The exhibition will take up more than 100,000 square metres (1.08 million sq ft) of floor area, and feature five major sectors: smart cars, green agriculture, clean energy, digital technology and healthy living.

It is expected to attract more than 300 exhibitors, including 30 per cent from overseas, according to CCPIT spokesman Nie Wenhui. US companies form the largest cohort among foreign firms that have already signed up for the event, according to a report by state-run media Global Times citing a CCPIT statement.

The event comes as China’s importance as a global sourcing hub comes under threat from US “de-risking” efforts – Washington’s now-preferred term to describe its approach towards Beijing.

While the White House has repeatedly denied that the US wants to completely cut trade with China, the idea of reducing interdependency has been floating around since 2018, when then US president Donald Trump’s administration slapped tariffs on a wide range of Chinese goods.