CIIE expands mainland market for Macao firms

Ivy Tsang, director of business development of Macao Yeng Kee Bakery, was surprised that their product sales in the Chinese mainland tripled in the past year, thanks to an agent they found at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai last year.

This year, Yeng Kee brought Macao treats like egg rolls, almond cookies and sesame cookies to the second expo. "The expo is a super platform to develop our market in the mainland," Tsang added.

More than 40 companies from Macao attended the expo, covering food, trade, finance and other fields. Many visitors stopped for a taste of the Macao snacks at the Macao booth, which covers an area of more than 600 square meters, an increase of 200 square meters from the first CIIE.

Nam Kwong, a commercial company with long-term relations with many Portuguese-speaking countries, showcased a variety of Portugal-imported wines.

"We believe there will be unlimited business opportunities in the future," said Liu Zesi, sales manager of the company's wine department, who is eager to learn more about the mainland market via the expo.

Macao has advantages in combining Chinese and Western culture in cultural and creative industry, said Bela Leong, project manager of Macao Mango International Media Co., Ltd., calling the expo a valuable chance to promote their products in the mainland.

"Macao enterprises have shown great enthusiasm for the CIIE, which reflects the remarkable achievements they made at the expo last year," said Leong Vai Tac, secretary for economy and finance of Macao, adding that he hopes Macao enterprises will seize opportunities presented by the mainland through the expo.