We are almost there! The 51st CIFF Guangzhou 2023 is ready to open its doors giving
an enthusiastic welcome to all the players in the furniture industry and providing a concrete response to the major changes and new challenges at play in the market.
For thousands of years, Guangzhou has been an open and inclusive commercial hub. The city attracts businessmen who bring in their innovation and pragmatism.
Located in Guangzhou, CIFF also shares the city’s characteristics, welcoming visitors from all over the world. As a global trade fair hosted by a direct subsidiary of China's Ministry of Commerce and a comprehensive platform that covers the entire chain of the furniture industry, CIFF plays a crucial role for China's furniture industry to open up and trade worldwide, disclosing the huge opportunities of the vast Chinese market.
The situation in the last 3 years
During the past 3 years it has not been convenient for international buyers to visit their Chinese clients at fairs. Despite of that, the accumulative export value of Chinese furniture and its parts exceeded 400 billion yuan from 2020 to 2022. In 2021, the number hit a record high of 477.19 billion yuan. Looking back at 2022, China's economy grew by 3%, maintaining stability in employment and prices. The total import and export value exceeded 40 trillion yuan for the first time, and reached 42.07 trillion yuan, with an increase of 7.7% year-on-year.
Just as Mr. Liu He, Deputy Prime Minister of the State Council, stated in his speech at the World Economic Forum 2023 in January, Chinese economy will see an overall improvement this year, with a high probability of reaching a normal growth rate. It can be projected that imports will increase significantly this year, enterprises will increase investment and residents' consumption will return to normal.
The current entry policy
As of 8th January 2023, anyone arriving in China from abroad will be permitted entry without centralized isolation. Currently inbound passengers need only show a negative result from a molecular test done 48 hours before departure. Furthermore the number of international flights has been increasing steadily.
“Integration” is the key-word
In the last few years, CIFF Guangzhou has put great efforts on integration.
The first integration relates to import and export. Currently, China is building a new development paradigm with domestic circulation at its core, and the domestic and international dual circulation mutually promoting each other. CIFF is the only exhibition in China that drives the domestic circulation as well as the international circulation for the furniture and interiors sector, being a bridge between China and the world.
On one hand, CIFF firmly implements the national strategy of expanding domestic demand. China is a large economy on its way to becoming the world's largest consumer market. In recent years, CIFF has taken precise measures to target domestic sales channels, helping both domestic and foreign exhibitors penetrate the Chinese market. In 2021, the number of domestic visitors to the show exceeded 350,000, reaching a record high.
On the other hand, the new development paradigm featuring “domestic and international dual circulation” lets China to open up its doors even wider and wider.
Before 2020, every edition of CIFF Guangzhou received over 30,000 overseas buyers from more than 200 countries and regions, definitely a great gathering for all furniture professionals worldwide. Over the past three years, CIFF has also actively expanded the circle of foreign trade friends, linking up with many of the world's top buying groups and representatives of sou