The fair, co-organized by the State Economic and Trade Commission (SETC) and the Jiangsu Provincial government, has drawn retailers from 15 countries and regions, including 12 of the world' s top 500 companies such as Wal-mart, Carrefour, Metro, Yokado, Jusco and Auchan.

Xie Xuren, vice-minister of the SETC said the purpose of the fair is to create direct contact between Chinese manufacturers and multinational retailers, help them reduce procurement procedures, cut down the cost of sales and purchases and raise efficiency.

Chinese enterprises will also learn from the fair the quality and packaging standards required by international markets, and will upgrade their technologies accordingly, he noted.

The SETC says the suppliers were selected from more than 3,000 Chinese manufacturers, and vendors are exhibiting 52 varieties of merchandise ranging from garments and food to electric appliances and building materials.

Buyers like Carrefour and Metro were briefed at a global sourcing forum held Monday on the trends in global consumption markets. Chinese government departments will also hold specialized seminars on export policies and other topics of interest to both buyers and suppliers during the three-day event.

(People's Daily April 23, 2002)