"Asia-Pacific economic and trade cooperation includes me among you." The development stories shared by exhibitors from many Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies at the 9th China International Import Expo reflect this increasingly close connection.
This interweaving is most intuitively reflected in the transnational relay of product manufacturing processes.
Micron Technology, the global storage giant, has participated in the CIIE for four consecutive years. In the center of its exhibition area, a 360° rotating wafer is particularly eye-catching. According to Micron, the manufacturing of memory chips begins with the wafer: after the memory circuit is manufactured on the wafer, it must be tested and cut, and the wafer is divided into small squares (bare chips), and then packaged and tested, and finally becomes a memory chip for downstream use. Micron's back-end packaging and testing factory in Xi'an is responsible for key aspects such as packaging and testing.
Behind the transnational relay of manufacturing processes is the global layout of production capacity. As demand in the storage market changes, Micron has deployed production and operation facilities in multiple APEC economies. In January this year, it launched an advanced wafer manufacturing project in Singapore and plans to invest approximately US$24 billion in the next 10 years to further improve wafer manufacturing capabilities and enhance the resilience of the global supply chain.
Cooperation is also extending to the more front-end aspects such as R&D and design. In front of the Japanese daily necessities brand MUJI's booth, visitors stretched out their hands to touch new plant-dyed hemp clothing products. This series of products uses hemp produced in Qinggang County, Suihua, Heilongjiang, and the dyes are extracted from natural plants such as Guizhou isatis, Henan madder, Shaanxi walnut peel and pomegranate peel. Characteristic products and traditional techniques from various parts of China are integrated into product development.
Satoshi Shimizu, global president of MUJI, believes that the unique value of the Chinese market lies in its ability to combine huge and diverse consumer demands with complete industrial system capabilities, allowing life insights to be transformed into product innovation faster. "Rich geographical resources, mature manufacturing capabilities, and continuously innovative retail and marketing methods provide conditions for MUJI to improve the entire process from development, production to consumer communication."
New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra has six application centers in China, focusing on localized innovation and developing New Zealand dairy raw materials into butter mooncakes, bread and other foods that meet the tastes of Chinese consumers.
Peter McBride, Chairman of Fonterra's Board of Directors, said that Asia-Pacific cooperation is not only related to Fonterra's business development, but also of great significance to New Zealand. The upgrade of the free trade agreement and the stable economic and trade cooperation environment provide support for Fonterra's operations in China and help enhance customers' confidence in long-term cooperation with it.
The industrial and supply chain cooperation of large multinational companies continues to extend to the front and back ends, and small and medium-sized enterprises are also looking for business opportunities in regional division of labor.
In front of the booth of Papua New Guinea enterprises, products such as vanilla pods, fermented cocoa beans, and pea protein attracted people to stop. Li Xueqing, the person in charge of the exhibiting company, said that most of its raw materials come from local small farmers and planting cooperatives in Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea is responsible for the cultivation and primary processing of raw materials, Singapore is responsible for Asia-Pacific international logistics transfer, Australia provides regional quality inspection and warehousing facilities, and China is responsible for product deep processing and development. It is ultimately made into pea protein, cassava cat litter and other products, which are sold to the United States and South Korea.
"The CIIE can help companies connect with high-quality farmers, modern industries and a broader market at a lower cost." Li Xueqing said.
At this CIIE, the scale of participation of Asia-Pacific economies has been further expanded. The exhibition area of American companies exceeded 50,000 square meters, ranking first for 8 consecutive years, an increase of 1,500 square meters compared with last year; the exhibition area of Canadian and New Zealand companies was the largest ever; the exhibition area of Australian companies expanded by 25% compared with last year.
Each product on the booth is connected to the resources, technologies and markets of different economies. This kind of "you and me" has also given Asia-Pacific economic and trade cooperation a more solid foundation. (over)
