The "Charming Cuba" Promotion Week officially opened at the Shanghai International Sister City Hub on May 5 and will run until May 19.
It is co-hosted by the Shanghai Municipal Foreign Affairs Office and the Consulate General of Cuba in Shanghai and managed by Orient International.
Cuba, a regular at the China International Import Expo (CIIE), is utilizing the event to increase awareness and visibility of Cuban culture and products, as well as explore opportunities in China.
The event is tapping into Shanghai's Double Five Shopping Festival and CIIE's spillover effect to promote Cuba's high-quality commodities, tourism industry and biomedical industry at Hongqiao Pinhui, an import commodity exhibition and trade center within the bonded area of the Hongqiao Central Business District. It is expected to further strengthen economic and trade exchanges and industrial cooperation between Shanghai and Cuba and consolidate the traditional friendship between China and Cuba.
"It will help Chinese learn more about Cuba," said Mileidy Aguirre Díaz, the Cuban Consul General in Shanghai, adding that China is and will be one of the main destinations for Cuban exports and he hopes the event will help promote the better development of Cuban enterprises in China.
At the event's opening ceremony, Cuban entrepreneurs conducted business and trade matching activities with nearly 40 Shanghai enterprises to explore more development possibilities in economic and trade fields between Shanghai and Cuba.
Cuba has participated in the CIIE for five consecutive years, showcasing its advantageous industries such as agriculture and food, construction, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals.
In 2022, Shanghai's imports from Cuba bucked the trend and reached 66.43 million yuan ($9.59 million), an increase of nearly 150 percent year-on-year.
