Photo taken on Nov. 9, 2020 shows the scene of a story about Chinese New Year built by Lego bricks at the booth of Danish toy giant LEGO Group during the third China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, east China. Lego Group has participated in the CIIE for three consecutive years, and has released several world's first toy sets during this year's event. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)

A considerable consumption upgrade and focus on higher-end products was the theme of the third China International Import Expo (CIIE), exhibitors told the Global Times, as the annual import fair reported a 2-percent increase in intended turnover, despite the logistical and economic difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The third CIIE wrapped up on Tuesday, with tentative deals worth $72.62 billion reached for one-year purchases of goods and services, up 2.1 percent year-on-year, according to the expo's organizer.

The consumer goods exhibition area had the largest floor space, while the medical instruments and healthcare sectors had the largest number of products making their debuts at the CIIE.

Chinese buyers and consumers are pivoting toward a consumption upgrade marked by growing interest in high-end products and services and quality goods at the CIIE, even if that means a higher price tag, as the world's second-largest economy moves into the post-virus era, attendees at the trade show told the Global Times. 

Wang Chengnuo, an importer of French goods, said that since the first CIIE in 2018, the acceptance level of high-end products had increased.

"Many customers swarmed our booth specifically looking for wine from Burgundy, and those bottles are priced at 1,000 yuan ($152) each, so you can clearly see the appetite for high-end products is growing," Wang said.

"The same goes for our high-end ham. All the free samples were handed out," Wang said, believing that the trend toward higher quality and higher prices will be a growing one in China.

"People are buying less compared with previous editions of the CIIE, as they would now factor in the impact of the pandemic, but customers are buying our middle- and high-end offerings this year," said Aisha, director of Moughal Cottage Industries, cashmere scarf company.

China, the world's largest market with a population of 1.4 billion and a middle-income group that exceeds 400 million, is expected to see total imports topping $22 trillion in the coming decade.

"We are seeing that Chinese consumers are increasingly focused on a more balanced and nutritious diet in the post-virus era," said Xue Jun, general manager of sales at Tyson China. 

"High-quality protein products have seen a sizable increase in demand," said the manager, whose company reached preliminary procurement agreements with Sam's Club, Carrefour and Yonghui Superstores with a total value of over $450 million.

"The market is getting increasingly specialized, with consumers' choices getting more personal and diversified, and the sales of epidemic control products, daily necessities and online-purchase items are trending in the post-virus era," according to a statement sent to the Global Times by Chinese retail giant Suning.com, which has an 80-percent stake in Carrefour China.

As China's consumption upgrading and further urbanization take place, analysts said that areas such as education, healthcare and sports will increasingly become new areas of growth.

Yin Zheng, president of Schneider Electric China, noted that in addition to the value of signed deals increasing by 50 percent year-on-year, the company is seeing procurement contracts extending to a wider range of customers. 

"Buyers from new industries including electronics, food and beverages, life sciences, and water treatment are buying our products, in addition to our more traditional clients in the industrial, energy and information technology sectors," Yin told the Global Times.

"We are fielding more models, many of which are made their debuts here… robotics, artificial intelligence robots and fever clinic solutions," read a statement sent to the Global Times by Siemens Healthineers.
Newspaper headline: Growing charm of Chinese market