BEIJING – Greece will be the honoured country at the 18th International Alcoholic Beverages Expo, the largest exhibition of the beverage industry in western China, which will be held in April, in the Chinese city of Luzhou, Sichuan Province.

The exhibition brings together each year the largest exhibitors from China, as well as abroad, while contracts worth more than 5 billion euros are signed while it is taking place. In 2018, 1,200 businesses with 5,000 product labels participated, while the number of visitors exceeded three million. Even last year, despite the pandemic, there were 1,100 exhibitors, while the honoured country was Argentina. This year, with China opening up after the coronavirus, the exhibition is expected to far surpass last year’s numbers.

The ambassador of Greece in Beijing, Evgenios Kalpyris, expressed the satisfaction of the Greek side for its participation as an honoured country in this year’s expo, in a meeting with a delegation of the Municipal Authority of the city of Luzhou and representatives of the organisers, who visited the Greek Embassy to formalise their cooperation.

“The exhibition, beyond its sectoral interest, is a multi-level event that offers the possibility of exchanges and collaborations in other sectors as well, such as tourism or culture,” pointed out Kalpyris.

The Greek participation will be coordinated by the Office of Economic and Commercial Affairs of the Greek Embassy, while, as noted by the Greek Ambassador, the main objective of the Greek mission will be to take advantage of this year’s dynamic Greek presence to create relations and strengthen human ties with the Chinese producers and professionals but also with the ordinary citizens of western China.