China will hold the first China International Consumer Products Expo, or CICPE, in Haikou. [Photo/CCTV]

China will hold the first China International Consumer Products Expo, or CICPE, in Haikou, the capital of Hainan province, from May 7 to 10, said government officials.

As an important task in the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port, the event will be co-hosted by the Ministry of Commerce and Hainan's provincial government, said Wang Bingnan, vice-minister of commerce.

Switzerland will be the guest of honor at the first CICPE. The exhibition invitation work for the expo has ended. With a total exhibition area of 80,000 square meters, it is expected to be the largest quality exhibition in the Asia-Pacific region, according to information released by its organizers.

"It will be an important initiative to better meet people's needs in their lives and an important platform for fostering a new development paradigm," said Wang.

The expo's international exhibition area covers 60,000 square meters, accounting for 75 percent of the total venue area. It is divided into five exhibition zones: fashion life, jewelry, food and supplements, lifestyle and outdoors, and hospitality and professional services. It features 1,165 brands by 630 exhibitors from 69 countries and regions.

Exhibitors including LVHM Group, Richemont Group, Jaguar Land Rover, Burberry, Shiseido, Omron, Tapestry Group, Johnson & Johnson, Dell and Tesla will participate in the event in May.

Shen Danyang, vice-governor of Hainan, said the expo focuses on "high-tech, new, high-quality and featured" consumer products. It strives to become a top expo in China in terms of international degree, the value of exhibits per unit area, and the number of first launches and exhibitions.

The expo provides an opportunity for the display and transactions of quality global consumer products in the Chinese market, and also creates business opportunities for Chinese and foreign players for global sales, he added.

This event will be the first international expo in the tropical province since China released a master plan last June to build the whole of Hainan Island into a globally influential, high-level free trade port by the middle of the century.