Preparations are in full swing for the first China International Consumer Products Expo, which is about two weeks away from opening in Hainan. Invitations to the event have closed, forcing many companies to wait for another year for a booth, organizing officials said.

The expo will be hosted at the Haikou International Convention and Exhibition Center in Haikou, capital city of South China's Hainan province.

It aims to promote the development of the modern service industry in the Hainan Free Trade Port as well as the development of the Hainan FTP as an international tourism consumption center.

Shen Xiaoming, Party secretary of Hainan province, said the Hainan expo will be one of the highest-standard exhibitions in China and is a practical way for implementing the CPC Central Committee's strategic plan to comprehensively deepen reform and opening-up in Hainan.

Shen said Hainan is doing its best to guarantee service, prevent and control risk, and make the expo a grand consumer event that meets international standards and earns a global reputation.

The expo, to be held from May 7-10, will have a total exhibition area of 80,000 square meters and feature fashion, jewelry and diamonds, food and supplements, as well as hospitality and professional services.

The international boutique exhibition area will cover 60,000 sq m, accounting for 75 percent of the total venue area.

A total of 648 overseas exhibitors and 1,193 global brands from 69 countries and regions, have signed up for the event, with Switzerland serving as the guest country of honor. More than 10 countries including Japan, France, South Korea, Canada, Ireland, and Thailand will organize delegations to participate in the event, which is expected to be the largest consumer products exposition in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the organizers.

Wang Bingnan, vice-minister of commerce, said the event, co-hosted by the Ministry of Commerce and the Hainan provincial government, is seen as an important initiative to better meet people's needs and a significant platform to foster a new development paradigm.

He said that China, considered the world's most promising consumer market, will remain committed to its core national policy of opening-up and will hold events such as the Hainan expo as platforms for international exchange and cooperation. The event will be the first international expo in the tropical province since China released a master plan in June to build Hainan Island into a globally influential, high-level free trade port by the middle of the century.

The plan says that products imported for display at national-level exhibitions will enjoy a tax-free policy during the exhibition period.

Shen Danyang, executive vice-governor of Hainan, said the expo will focus on "new high-tech, high-quality and featured" consumer products and will be made a top expo in China in terms of international influence, the value of exhibits per unit area and the number of products to debut.

He said the expo provides an opportunity for the display and transactions of quality global consumer products in the Chinese market while also creating business opportunities for Chinese and foreign players for global sales.

Brand producers including LVHM Group, Richemont Group, Jaguar Land Rover, Burberry, Shiseido, Omron, Tapestry Group, Johnson & Johnson, Dell, Tesla, Swatch, Swarovski, Coach and Hans Yachts, have confirmed participation in the event.

The number of domestic brands participating in the exhibition has also exceeded 800. Chinese companies set to exhibit include Huawei Technologies, Oppo and Vivo, according to Han Shengjian, director-general of the Hainan Provincial Bureau of International Economic Development.

Han said domestic and foreign duty-free business enterprises, high-end retailers, large-scale shopping malls, commercial real estate enterprises, top e-commerce and luxury e-commerce companies will host matchmaking sessions and seek business opportunities at the expo.

The first China International Consumer Products Expo is to be hosted at the Haikou International Convention and Exhibition Center in Haikou, Hainan province. SHI ZHONGHUA/FOR CHINA DAILY