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[July 2002]
Ceramics China 2003 Announced
Ceramics China 2003, the 17th China International Ceramics Industry Exhibition, will take place at the China Foreign Trade Center in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, PR China from 19-22 May 2003. This will be the first staging of the event in Guangzhou since PR China was accepted into the World Trade Organization. With the demand for ceramics increasing due to the decreasing duties and tariffs, the number of foreign participants will increase dramatically, say the organisers - the China Ceramic Industry Association and the CCPIT Building Materials Sub-Council.According to Chinese government statistics, over the past decade there has been an average 30% growth in the number of ceramic factories in China every year, with the total number of factories now numbering 20,000 - two-thirds of which are located in Southern China.
Many of these companies are reported to need more than half of their equipment to be either modernised or refurbished. This has led to a dramatic increase in the volume of imported ceramic equipment.
Statistics show that in 1999, the number of ceramic tile presses that were imported was 280 units, 210 of which were over 2,000 tons. In 2000, that figure rose to 292 units (217 over 2,000 tons) and rose again in 2001 to 305 units (214 over 2,000 tons).
Further rapid growth in the Chinese ceramic industry is predicted. Experts are said to believe that the cause for this rapid growth is the recent boom in the real estate and construction sectors. In the next decade, it is expected that the planned construction of 2,000 new towns and cities will undoubtedly stimulate the ceramic industry in China.
The organisers point to previous examples. For instance, in 1999, 120 new factories were established in Nanhai City alone - the majority of which were involved in ceramic production.
Ceramics China 2003 will feature not just the exhibition, but also a Ceramic Industry Conference, an Annual Meeting, seminars etc., with representatives from various companies from around the world in attendance. This exhibition aims to promote and develop trade between the Chinese and foreign companies that are in some way concerned in the ceramic industry, as well as to attract more buyers from South-East Asia.
Earlier this year in Beijing, Ceramics China 2002 numbered some 200 exhibiting companies from China, Italy, Germany, the UK, Spain, Japan, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Australia and Taiwan.
For full details on the exhibition, e-mail: gzunionf@pub.guangzhou.gd.cn
ENDS