Qatar Chamber gears up for ‘Made in China 2017’ expo

The staging of the third ‘Made in China’ exhibition from November 16 to 19 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC) reflects “robust Qatari-Chinese relations,” an official of Qatar Chamber has said.
Speaking at a press conference in the Chinese city of Dalian, Qatar Chamber assistant director general for Governmental and International Relations Ali Bu Sherbak al-Mansouri said ‘Made in China 2017’ is expecting wider participation from major Chinese companies.
“Holding the exhibition for the third year in a row reflects the robustness and strength of Qatari-Chinese relations,” al-Mansouri said, adding that trade relations between the two sides have witnessed “a great development in recent years.”
He said Qatar-China relations “witnessed great progress over recent years.” According to al-Mansouri, China is a key trade partner to Qatar, with trade exchange last year hitting $5.5bn, including $4bn Qatari exports to China. China is Qatar’s fourth trade partner, while Qatar is China’s second-largest supplier of LNG, he said.
“The opportunity is there for Chinese companies to supply goods to the Qatari market, especially building and construction materials,” said al-Mansouri, who explained that all the construction work in the projects related to the 2022 FIFA World Cup “is proceeding rapidly according to schedule.”
He noted that the exhibition is “an important platform” for Chinese companies to showcase their industries, products, and latest technological innovations, as well as a venue to introduce the Qatari business community to these products.
He added that the exhibition also allows Chinese companies to learn about the Qatari market and business opportunities.
Al-Mansouri expressed hope that the exhibition lead to the signing of agreements between Qatari and Chinese companies and the establishment of joint projects that would serve the economy of both countries.
“This year’s exhibition comes concurrently with the Gulf crisis and the unjust siege imposed by neighbouring countries on the state of Qatar whose economy is not affected by this siege. This affirms Qatar’s success in dealing with these unfair measures very quickly and directly shifted to alternative sources,” al-Mansouri said.
He said Hamad Port was inaugurated and a direct marine route was launched with China’s Shanghai Port, which effectively contributed to the continued flow of Chinese imports to Qatar “without the need to pass across siege countries.”
More than 100 Chinese companies representing various economic and trade sectors are expected to participate in the event at the DECC. Dalian City in China is home to many important industries, especially in the food, building materials, and car spare parts sectors.