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An
interview with Mr Carlo Angelo Bocchi, Italian
Trade Commissioner, Hong Kong.
"For
Chinese companies who want to internationalise
their products, Hong Kong is still the right place.
In fact, it is the only place," says Mr Carlo
Angela Bocchi, Italian Trade Commissioner in Hong
Kong. Hong Kong's importance as a centre for China
business is what really makes it attractive to
Italian companies as a trade fair centre, he thinks.
It is still an Asian regional hub but the China
factor is looming larger all the time for companies
who come here to exhibit and visit the Territory's
trade fairs.
Mr
Bocchi says that the quality of fairs is very
important. "China fairs are cheaper but service
is not the same. What is really important is not
cost but the capability to attract real buyers".
He
comments that a number of the key fairs in Hong
Kong have shown dramatic improvements in their
capacity to attract Mainland buyers and exhibitors
in the past two years. "Exhibitors are looking
for Chinese as well as international buyers,"
Mr Bocchi says. The number of buyers from China
has risen from around 10% in the past to more
than 50% in some cases, he notes. Mr Bocchi cites
the large cosmetics and optical fairs in Hong
Kong as good examples of this trend.
At
least 1,000 Italian companies exhibit directly
in Hong Kong fairs every year, says Mr Bocchi,
with three to four times that number represented
by local agents. Industries in which Italian presence
is growing include optical, cosmetics, yarns,
fabrics, gifts and houseware.
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