KITA participates in China’s largest import expo

Korea International Trade Association (KITA) Vice Chairman Lee In-ho, center, listens to an explanation while taking a tour of the Korea Pavilion during the China International Import Expo in Shanghai, Wednesday. Courtesy of KITA

Trade association deepens exchanges with China for bilateral trade growth

By Lee Min-hyung

The nation’s leading trade association is currently participating in China’s largest import exhibition to help Korean firms explore new export opportunities.

The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) set up the Korea Pavilion for the China International Import Expo (CIIE) to promote the country’s diverse products. A group of 74 Korean firms showcased their business potential at the pavilion. This year’s CIIE runs for six days, from Nov. 5 to 10, in Shanghai. It is also the seventh consecutive year that the trade association has joined.

The CIIE is China’s national-level exhibition launched in 2018, aiming to expand its imports and build more business ties with overseas companies. More than 3,500 companies in 152 countries have joined this year’s event. In Korea, a total of 176 firms joined the expo to diversify their sales channels in Asia’s largest economy.

KITA is focused on promoting Korean consumer goods and food at its booth, while holding various promotional events including K-pop dance performances.

The association is working alongside Korean local governments and the Public Procurement Service to operate an 870-square-meter pavilion at the expo. It has also set up a dedicated booth for the Korea-China Free Trade Agreement, offering on-site consultations for Korean firms and Chinese buyers.

“China is still a mega-sized market and a major export destination for Korean companies, even if the country’s domestic growth is slowing down,” KITA Vice Chairman Lee In-ho said Monday during the event.

“We hope Korean firms can find new business opportunities and understand the consumption trends in China’s rapidly changing market.”

Lee met with ranking Chinese officials, such as Yu Jianlong, vice chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, to vitalize trade exchanges between Korea and China. The KITA executive discussed measures for activating their bilateral ties in a sustainable manner, even after the exhibition.

The trade association is also scheduled to hold a joint exchange event with China’s Ministry of Commerce on Thursday to help Korean participants contact officials from China’s major companies and retailers, such as JD.com.

China is one of the largest export partners to Korea. According to data from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Korea’s exports to China surged by 10.9 percent year-on-year in October, reaching $12.2 billion (17 trillion won) — the highest monthly figure since September 2022. This growth was fueled by strong exports of semiconductors and petrochemical products.

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