Jiwan Ratna Shakya, a Nepalese businessman, is expecting "some good deals" for his company's "very high-quality art and crafts" at the sixth China International Import Expo (CIIE) being held on Nov. 5-10 in Shanghai.
Shakya, managing director of Namaste Instyle Impex, joined the second CIIE in 2019 and has returned to the grand event after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I'm expecting to see some friends and some new friends because already we have some connections with the CIIE," he said ahead of a planned trip to attend the expo in Shanghai.
Namaste Instyle Impex's exhibits at this year's CIIE include metal statues, wood carvings, incense, singing bowls and pashmina.
"This time we have something different and very high-quality arts and crafts," Shakya said. "I'm sure we can get some good deals this time because I believe the Chinese market is growing."
The exhibitor received "a good response" to his metal statues, singing bowls, pashmina and silver jewellery at the second CIIE.
He found the demand was "very big" as the expo drew together many big brands and big companies. "We had a good deal for this, pashmina and silver items," he noted.
He attributed the popularity of his exhibits, which were all hand-made, partly to Nepali architect Arniko, who is still remembered for designing and constructing pagoda-style temples in various locations in China.
This year's CIIE has attracted guests from 154 countries, regions and international organizations, and over 3,400 exhibitors and 394,000 professional visitors have registered to attend the event, representing a full recovery to pre-pandemic levels.
Since 2010, Shakya and his company have joined many exhibitions in China, and dozens of passes and several awards collected over the years bear witness to their journeys.
In August, Shakya participated in the seventh China-South Asia Expo in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, and he found markets were "getting better."
Shakya's company had a small office in Kunming five years ago, and intends to reopen an office in China so as to "do some more business easily" and find the best partners.
He voiced confidence in the prospect of China's economic development, citing its population and conditions, as well as his readiness to join the CIIE in the years to come.
"That's what I plan every November," he said. "We must, you know, attach ourselves to the market," he explained.