With the announcement made by Zheng Renhao, secretary of the Zhangjiang municipal Party committee, the 2019 China International Aquatic products Expo (the Water Expo) kicked off at Zhanjiang Olympic Sports Center on June 18. The three-day event ends successfully today.

Held by the National Federation of Fisheries Aquaculture Chamber of Commerce, China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Federation, and the Zhanjiang Aquatic Products Import and Export Enterprise Association, the Water Expo has been held for five consecutive sessions as a platform for cooperation, exchange, and investment in aquaculture, aiming to expand exchanges and cooperation between China's aquaculture industry and the world's water industry.

The 2019 China International Aquatic Products Expo, also known as the Water Expo, opens at Zhanjiang Olympic Sports Center on June 18. [Photo/Zhang Fengfeng]

In 2018, the China International Aquatic Products Expo received more than 30,000 visitors, with a turnover of more than 23 billion yuan ($3.32 billion), providing a platform for domestic and foreign enterprises to make purchases.

Compared with the previous session, the exhibition area of this year's Water Expo has expanded to more than 40,000 square meters, double the number of last year. The standard exhibition areas have also expanded from more than 500 to more than 900. The exhibition will be divided into a marine snack food area, a frozen seafood product area, an aquatic equipment area, and an international exhibition area.

Companies and merchants from more than 30 countries and regions attend the Water Expo, including those from Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Ecuador, Japan, Iran, the United States, and Hong Kong. This year's Expo have more than 4,000 exhibitors and buyers in the aquaculture industry. It is expected to have more than 500 domestic exhibitors, more than 200 foreign exhibitors, and more than 40,000 professional buyers and wholesalers from home and abroad.

In addition to exhibitions, such as those on aquatic products, machinery and equipment, as well as breeding seedlings, three forums, including the tilapia industry development forum, the shrimp market development summit forum, and the modern fisheries forum, as well as large events, such as the seafood gourmet feast, the signing ceremony, the chamber of commerce annual meeting, and the procurement reception, will promote cooperation, exchanges, and transactions between Chinese and foreign companies.

A series of investment negotiations, purchase orders, production and marketing docking, product promotion, technology promotion, as well as other activities will also be arranged during the Water Expo.

Government leaders talk with exhibitors at the 2019 China International Aquatic Products Expo. [Photo provided/Zhang Fengfeng]

After the opening ceremony, the Party Secretary Zheng Renhao, Zhangjiang Mayor Jiang Jianjun, the president of the China Aquatic Production Chamber of Commerce Tian Quanhai, and other leaders who participated in the 2019 China International Aquatic Products Expo visited its pavilions. They expressed hope that all participants will expand the aquatic products market through the expo, creating mutual benefits for each other. In addition, the government leaders also encouraged fishery enterprises that participated in the expo to settle in Zhanjiang and contribute to the city's aquatic industry.