Published on: 2026-04-16
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
In the photo: April 14, crowds of visitors at the pavilion of the Sixth China International Consumer Goods Expo. (Photo: Wan Zhan, correspondent of the Chuzhongwan website)
The Sixth China International Consumer Goods Expo (hereinafter CICPE), which will be held from April 13 to 18 in Hainan — a southern province of China, is the first exhibition among major exhibition events in China since the country joined the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), as well as the debut exhibition after the launch of the Independent Customs Operations Regime across the entire free trade port territory of Hainan /FTP/ in December of last year.
The current exhibition, held under the slogan “Openness leads to global consumption, and innovation creates a better life,” has attracted more than 3,400 brands from over 60 countries and regions of the world, with international exhibits accounting for 65%, which is 20 percentage points more than at the previous exhibition.
This is a grand event showcasing premium consumer goods from around the world, which, thanks to its open approach, marks a new chapter of global cooperation.
“Window to the World”: Connection with the Global Consumer Market
As an honorary guest of the current exhibition, Canada sent the largest delegation in history from 40 enterprises, which presented products in such areas as an active lifestyle, agricultural products and food, biotechnologies, and others. At the same time, pavilions of consumer goods were opened by 22 countries and regions of the world, including Ireland, Switzerland, South Korea, Italy, which together organized a true celebration of global consumer goods.
Deputy Minister of Commerce of the PRC Shen Qiupin stated: “The exhibition has opened a channel for the rapid sale of high-quality consumer goods from around the world to the Chinese market, giving a new impetus to the improvement of consumption quality and modernization, as well as revealing the potential of the huge Chinese market.”
The trend in which numerous international companies continue to participate in the exhibition and deepen their presence in the Chinese market is becoming increasingly evident. Yan Gan, Vice Chairman of CP Group in China, noted that CICPE represents an important high-level business card of China’s openness. For transnational companies like CP Group, this is not just an exhibition, but an important platform that allows for a better understanding of the Chinese market and the establishment of connections with global resources.
With each year, the level of internationalization of the CICPE exhibition grows, which once again confirms: the doors of China will open wider and wider.
Thomas Macdonald, General Director of Spring Sheep, said that CICPE is an extremely important exhibition platform, on which many international brands offer high-quality goods to Chinese consumers and families.
Hoeslandt company CEO Sakura Lun also noted that since the first CICPE exhibition, Hoeslandt has firmly established itself at this venue. Thanks to participating in the exhibition, the company has earned the trust, sympathy, and support of numerous consumers and partners.
Jay Martin, Marketing and Operations Director of MegaGold, said: “Last year, MegaGold participated in the exhibition for the first time and attracted great attention, as well as acquired quality partners, which allowed us to better understand the aspirations of Chinese consumers towards a healthy lifestyle. This year, we have expanded the booth to 300 square meters to adapt North American solutions to the needs of Chinese consumers in the health and wellness sector. We have always considered China as the main driver of global innovation and growth.”
New prospects for launching an independent customs operations regime in the territory of the Hainan Free Trade Port: stimulating the development of the free trade zone
On December 18, 2025, China launched an independent customs operations regime across the entire territory of the Hainan Free Trade Port /PST/. Shen Qiuping noted that the introduction of this regime is a landmark measure, evidencing our country’s unwavering commitment to expanding openness at a high level and promoting the construction of an open global economy. This also signifies that CICPE is entering a new stage of development characterized by internationalization, professionalism, and market orientation.After the launch, the efficiency of customs clearance increased, a clear policy of tax benefits was developed, the range of duty-free goods expanded, which gave a new impetus to the development of the exhibition.
International companies are actively exploring new opportunities opened up by the openness of Hainan Province.
Matthew Growdon, President of The Estée Lauder Companies, Asia-Pacific and Travel Retail Worldwide, emphasized that since the opening of the first duty-free store in Sanya in 2009, Estée Lauder’s business in Hainan has been steadily developing. “We are sincerely grateful to governments at all levels and to our partners in the retail sector for their comprehensive support throughout this period, which has allowed us to continue expanding travel retail in Hainan.”
L’Oréal APAC Travel Retail Managing Director Jesus Abia noted: “Hainan, as a globally renowned destination for shopping and tourism retail centers, holds great significance for us. As a world leader in the beauty industry, L’Oréal strives to enhance the consumer experience in cosmetics across major tourist destinations worldwide. And Hainan is precisely the region that plays a key role in implementing our concept. In the dynamic market of the Asia-Pacific region, Hainan occupies an extraordinarily important position.””We hope for further development here and that our activities will have a long-term impact.”
Adele Zhang, Deputy Managing Director of Travel Retail and Managing Director for the Asia-Pacific region at Shiseido, noted that in recent years China has remained one of the most dynamic markets for cosmetic products in the world, and Hainan Island has quickly become a barometer of the global travel retail industry. “China has always been our key market, and with the development of the free trade zone in Hainan, this region has become a strategic center of innovation in the field of travel retail.”In recent years, Hainan has not stopped in its development, and this inspiring “Hainan speed” opens up new opportunities for growth for Shiseido.
A Promising Future: Joint Use of China’s Development Opportunities
The huge potential of the Chinese market and the constantly improving business conditions attract many international brands that consider China as a key driver of global growth. In 2025, the total volume of retail trade in consumer goods in China exceeded 50 trillion yuan, and in terms of purchasing power parity, the country ranked first in the world by the size of the consumer goods market. During the implementation period of the 14th Five-Year Plan, the total volume of consumer goods imports in China exceeded 9 trillion yuan. The powerful sales market opens up broad opportunities for the development of global companies.
Foreign companies are strengthening their presence in China through real actions and jointly utilizing emerging opportunities. Canada’s Minister of International Trade, Maninder Sidhu, in his speech at the opening ceremony of the China International Consumer Goods Expo and the launch of the 2026 “Shop in China” international consumption season, noted that Canada’s participation as the guest of honor country at this exhibition is not just a formality, but an important signal: “We have a goal — to increase the volume of bilateral trade by 50% by 2030. These are not empty words, but quite realistic plans.”Canadian exponents came here not for a single event, but for long-term development.
Saravoot Yoovidhya, the CEO of the Thai TCP Group, stated during the exhibition that he is full of confidence in the prospects of the Chinese market in 2026. Over the past five years, the total volume of TCP Group’s investments in China has reached 4.36 billion yuan, and the company intends to increase investments in China in the future.
CICPE is not only a celebration of the best products of global consumption, but also a vivid example of open cooperation and mutually beneficial interaction. Relying on the institutional advantages of the independent customs operations regime throughout the entire Hainan Free Trade Port territory (FTZ), the exhibition is rapidly turning into a “debut presentation venue” for premium-class products, an “accelerator” for the promotion of international brands in the Chinese market, and a “new business card” of China in the field of expanding high-quality openness.China, thanks to confidence in its own development, gives a powerful impulse to the global economy and opens a new chapter in the history of global cooperation in the field of consumption.
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