Exotic products a niche market in China: Pakistani exhibitors in CIIE

“This is one of the best opportunities we have every year!” noted Imran Rah, CEO of ASIYA International Trading (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd while taking an interview with China Economic Net. He added, “CIIE is a 6-day event, but it helps us get together with a lot of customers for 365 days a year. With branding motions here, customers who love our products continue buying from us.”

Scheduled from November 5 to 10, the 5th China International Import Expo (CIIE) provides a platform for companies from around the world to display their products, promote their brands, and find more business partners in the world’s second-largest economy.

Showcasing the exotic handicrafts, such as hand-made carpets, shawls and scarves, Imran told the reporter that “Our main goal for the expo is not just the six days. We promoted throughout the year, and we can continue to do business with the customers we met here.”

“We had a great experience in participating at CIIE because it’s helped a lot in growing our business and also interacting with other business partners,” said Javed Mohal, Assistant to the CEO of founder of WINZA Jewelry and CEO of Atlantis Co., Ltd., a Pakistani jewelry brand, adding that they would like to spread the Pakistani culture of art, handmade crafts, and share its essence and elegance with the world.

Ismail, sales manager of ASIYA, said “You can get in touch with a lot of very high-quality customers that you don’t normally meet. When the expo ends, we discuss the details of cooperation with our clients and the final turnover may be equivalent to the turnover of several of our stores in a year.”

“This pattern [on the carpet] has been passed down for hundreds of years in Pakistan. It is the most classic pattern, with classical beauty,” Ismail was presenting a carpet to coming visitors. And a carpet worth RMB1,000 (Rs. 30,000+) was sold in a few words.

Courtesy of the booming Sino-Pak trade and investment cooperation coupled with important platforms such as CIIE, Pakistan’s overall export to China has registered steady growth in recent years.

As per Ismail, in recent years, the performance of handicrafts in the Chinese market has maintained a steady growth, because now the consumption power of the Chinese people has become stronger, and people are more and more fond of handicrafts, especially the foreign ones that featured culture and style from another nation. It is a niche market in China, he added, saying that they introduced and preserved the local Pakistani style and culture in their products which attracted more and more Chinese customers.

“China is a huge market. Thanks to platforms like CIIE, we are trying our best to do promotion in this market and promote our brand here,” Imran Rah said.