Exhibition goods from New Zealand, Vanuatu and Niue being shipped to China for CIIE

Photo taken on Sept. 23, 2023 shows exhibition goods from New Zealand, Vanuatu and Niue being shipped to China for the China International Import Expo (CIIE) 2023 at Tauranga Harbour, New Zealand. (Xinhua)

The COSCO Shipping container, which left for China on Saturday, carried a wide range of products from New Zealand, Vanuatu and Niue, such as dairy products, honey, juice, and art crafts.

TAURANGA, New Zealand, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- A shipping container loaded with products from New Zealand and Pacific Island nations Vanuatu and Niue left the Port of Tauranga, the largest port in New Zealand, on Saturday for the China International Import Expo (CIIE) 2023.

The CIIE, in its sixth edition this year, will be held in Shanghai on Nov. 5-10.

The COSCO Shipping container, which left for China on Saturday, carried a wide range of products from New Zealand, Vanuatu and Niue, such as dairy products, honey, juice, and art crafts. The container is expected to arrive at Shanghai Port in mid-October.

Kang Xiaoyu, managing director of COSCO Shipping Lines New Zealand, told Xinhua that her team in New Zealand had been preparing for the shipment for quite a long time.

"In order to better meet the logistics needs of exhibits at the CIIE in New Zealand and surrounding South Pacific island countries, COSCO Shipping strives to create a complete exhibit supply chain service plan for exhibitors," Kang said.

In response to the difficulties encountered by local companies in production and operations, a special working group was established for the transportation of exhibits for the sixth CIIE and dedicated personnel was assigned to coordinate the work, she added.

COSCO Shipping is the official international shipping service provider for the CIIE.

Photo taken on Sept. 23, 2023 shows exhibition goods from New Zealand, Vanuatu and Niue being shipped to China for the China International Import Expo (CIIE) 2023 at Tauranga Harbour, New Zealand. (Xinhua)

According to Joe Pacoa, director of Vanuatu's Department of External Trade, Vanuatu's exhibition products are natural and distinctive. They have received positive feedback from Chinese consumers at previous CIIEs. Vanuatu's water, kava and noni juice have forayed into the Chinese market.

Encouraged by this, Vanuatu will continue to introduce more exhibition products at this year's CIIE, including local jewellery, sea cucumber-based cancer-fighting health products, mineral water, kava-based foods and daily necessities, chocolates, coconut oil, Tamanu oil, as well as traditional local handcrafted items and wood carvings, Pacoa said.