For six days from Tuesday to Sunday - 5 to 10 November, the Korea International Trade Association (KITA, Chairman Christopher Koo) ran a Korea Pavilion at the 7th China International Import Expo held at National Convention and Exhibition Centre in Shanghai, China. The organisation has been attending this event every year for the past seven years.
The Expo was first held in 2018 with strong support from the government to show its commitment of pursuing openness and boosting imports. This year's Expo was attended by approximately 3,500 companies from 152 countries and regions. Korea was represented by a total of 176 companies, including 74 companies, which opened their booths in the Korea Pavilion set up by KITA.
KITA collaborated with four regional governments from Busan, Gyeongsangnamdo, Jeollabukdo and Jeollanamdo and three government agencies, including the Public Procurement Service and set up a 870m2 pavilion, which was divided into two sections for comsumer goods and food products. During the Expo, various types of events aimed at experiencing Korean culture were held, including K-pop dance concerts, taking "four-cut" instant photos, making dalgona and trying Hanbok, which contributed to attracting visitors, thereby securing more opportunities for Korean products on display to be exposed to the Chinese public. Additionally, KITA set up a dedicated booth to promote FTA and offered counselling on taking advantage of the Korea - China FTA anad RCEP for officials from Korean companies attending the Expo and Chinese buyers.