IFAT CHINA Strengthens Role as China’s Hot Spot for Environmental Solutions
Source IFAT CHINA
This year’s IFAT CHINA confirmed its significance as a meeting place and business platform for environmental solutions und technologies in Asia. Following a successful premiere in Shanghai in 2004, the 2nd International Trade Fair for Environmental Protection, from June 27 to 30, 2006, attracted about 10,000 trade visitors from 66 countries. For four days, the environmental fair was a showcase of solutions for water supply, sewage treatment, waste disposal, recycling, air pollution control, environmental technology and environmentally compatible forms of energy.
Demand for space was again very strong in 2006. IFAT CHINA was fully booked; 285 exhibitors from 26 countries presented their products and services in the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. That means an increase of 13% compared to the previous trade fair. IFAT CHINA has strengthened its position in Asia as a practice-orientated business platform in terms of communication, cooperation and education to find satisfying solutions for environmental challenges.
IFAT CHINA featured five new joint participations from Great Britain, Japan, Korea, Switzerland and the U.S. German and Italian companies were again represented in national pavilions as already at the first edition of the event. Also, a large number of countries attended for the first time the fair as exhibitors (Australia, Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Switzerland and Taiwan).
Across Asia IFAT CHINA attracted strong interest; 44% of the exhibiting companies came from Asia (China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan). “The considerable growth in international participation and the strong response from China and throughout Asia demonstrate that IFAT CHINA is well on its way to establishing itself in East Asia as the leading trade-fair for environmental solutions,” said Eugen Egetenmeir, deputy managing director of Munich Trade Fairs Intl. Group, which organized this trade-fair jointly with the China Association of Resources Comprehensive Utilization (CARCU).
The trade-fair gained strong support from governmental authorities. Astrid Klug, parliamentary state secretary at the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, stated in her opening address: “China’s dynamism is a challenge for Europe and offers a growth market for environmental technologies. Germany is a pioneer in environmental technologies. Transfer of knowledge is in our mutual interest.”
Chinese representatives underlined the importance of IFAT CHINA as an arena for environmental solutions. He Bingguang, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), added: “Substantial development is the common task and target for the world economic. This trade-fair showcases a wide range of state-of-the-art products, solutions and services; the technical-scientific conference program is a comprehensive platform and good opportunity for international communication, dialogue and cooperation.”
The Bavarian state minister of Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection, Dr. Werner Schnappauf, referred to the tight relations between Bavaria and the Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Shandong: “A 20-year-old partnership already exists with Shandong. We only recently launched a joint capacity-building project for the water and wastewater sector. Bavaria is linked with Guangdong by a partnership that we sealed here at IFAT CHINA with an environmental cooperation agreement.”
“IFAT CHINA 2006 creates a unique platform for environmental protection enterprises worldwide. It’s a good opportunity for the community to exchange ideas and generate new contacts. The new technology and products in IFAT CHINA 2006 will accelerate the development of environmental protection industry in China,” said Xu Shufan, deputy director general of the Department of Science Technology, State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA).
The technical and scientific conference program at IFAT CHINA, featuring over 100 lectures on current themes in the sector, was also a great success. Chinese and international experts discussed innovations, developments and trends in the environmental industry.
Source: IFAT CHINA