In the 2025 National Two Sessions, the Consumer Expo, together with the CIIE, the Canton Fair, the Service Trade Fair, and the Digital Trade Fair appeared in the government work report. The reporter found that this was the fifth consecutive year that the Consumer Expo was "named" by the government work report. Why is the Consumer Expo so important? What kind of past and present life does it have? How to release spillover? "Chaobianbao Time" has been opened again, and the reporter interviewed hot issues of concern to the public.

Why is the Consumer Expo so important?

The birth of the Consumer Expo is closely related to the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port. In June 2020, the "Overall Plan for the Construction of Hainan Free Trade Port" was issued, giving Hainan a new mission to build an international tourism consumption center and proposed to hold a Consumer Expo. The first national exhibition with the theme of consumer products came into being.

From the first exhibition of more than 2,600 brands to the fifth exhibition of more than 4,100 brands, the Consumer Expo is now the largest consumer boutique exhibition in the Asia-Pacific region. Sheng Qiuping, Vice Minister of Commerce, said that the Consumer Expo not only provides strong support for promoting the continuous expansion of consumption and meeting people's needs for a better life, but also provides an important platform for global enterprises to share the Chinese market and Chinese enterprises to go to the world stage.

The policy effects of the Consumer Expo and Hainan Free Trade Port have been superimposed, effectively releasing the advantages of policy and system systems of trade, investment, cross-border capital flow, personnel entry and exit, and transportation, as well as safe and orderly data flow, and has driven the integration and innovative development of consumption scenarios such as Hainan's duty-free shopping, accommodation and catering, entertainment and tourism, and sports and health.

Xia Feng, a professor at Hainan University, said that if we make good use of the Consumer Expo platform, the Hainan Free Trade Port can make efforts from both supply and demand, expand physical consumption and service consumption at the same time, and focus on attracting the return of overseas consumption of high-end shopping, medical care and education, and build an important destination for the release of my country's consumption potential.

On April 10, exhibitors set out in the main venue of the Consumer Expo. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Guo Cheng

What kind of business opportunities are contained in "buy the world" and "sell the world"?

In the "shopping cart" of the Consumer Expo, what dividends and opportunities will be brought by rushing in two directions, one buy and one sell? The supply and demand matching meetings and inspections and negotiations contain broad business opportunities of "buy the world" and "sell the world". Domestic and foreign buyers and suppliers have established stable trade and channel cooperation and deepened cross-border industrial chain cooperation.

With the Consumer Expo platform, many exhibitors have transformed into investors: Richemont Group, LVMH, Estee Lauder, Teppesqi and other internationally renowned companies, as well as domestic well-known companies such as Huaxi Biologics and iFLYTEK, and after participating in the Consumer Expo, they have established international business headquarters, processing and production bases and supply chain centers in Hainan to further explore domestic and foreign markets.

"The Consumer Expo has become an important platform to showcase China's consumption potential and consumption structure upgrade trend." Kuang Xianming, deputy director of the China (Hainan) Institute of Reform and Development, said that especially my country's service-oriented consumption has shown a rapid growth trend and still has huge growth potential and room for upgrading in the future.

The 5th Consumer Expo attracted a large number of "repeated customers" and also welcomed many new friends. China's continuous improvement in business environment has become an important factor in attracting foreign-invested and foreign companies to participate in the Consumer Expo and invest in the Chinese market.

On April 10, staff placed the mascot of the Consumer Expo. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Guo Cheng

How to create a "never end" consumption event?

The 2025 Government Work Report once again mentioned the Consumer Expo, demonstrating its important position in promoting open cooperation and consumption upgrading.

Ma Chao, an associate researcher at the Hainan Maritime Silk Road Research Base, said that China is unswervingly promoting the construction of consumer center cities and the construction of Hainan International Tourism Consumption Center, which has enhanced global enterprises' confidence to "increase" their layout in China, allowing them to see the Chinese government's commitment to open up to the outside world.

In March this year, the "Special Action Plan to Boost Consumption" was issued, and powerful measures to promote consumption attracted high attention from domestic and foreign companies. This year's Consumer Expo focuses more on expanding consumption and holding exhibitions in two-way empowerment: the series of activities of "Buy in China" were launched simultaneously; the foreign trade quality matching activities were held at the same time; the new energy vehicle crowd test island competition and Boao Lecheng medical tourism experience and other supporting activities were full of highlights...

In order to create the "never-end Consumer Expo", Hainan has explored the path of coordinated development of "exhibition-industry-city". "Consumption atmosphere" accelerates the extension of consumers' life scenes: Haikou and Sanya will hold concerts, music festivals, duty-free promotions and other activities; in the duty-free consumption exhibition area, consumers can enjoy offshore duty-free consumption coupons and exclusive discounts for the Consumer Expo; at the Sanya Yacht Wharf and Haitang Bay, consumers can watch the first international wedding dress show in China and participate in fashionable yacht parties.

A relevant person in charge of the Hainan International Economic Development Bureau said that from promoting the establishment of brands participating in the Consumer Expo in high-quality stores, logistics centers and factories in Hainan, to leveraging the annual display and trading functions to exhibit and sell global famous products, consumer products, terminal products, and future "samples", with the support of the Consumer Expo, my country will achieve the simultaneous release of more first-time new products, and continue to expand the spillover effect.

Coordination: Yu Weiya, Cao Jianli

Reporters: Luo Jiang, Cui Yingxin, Zhang Liyun, Liu Yutian