Shenzhen manufacturers, businesses embrace APEC-related opportunities

Authorities are expecting to receive several thousand officials and business representatives in Shenzhen during the APEC summit.

To seize these new business opportunities, local manufacturers and shopping malls have made thorough preparations-including brushing up on their English.

Known as a tech-savvy hub, Shenzhen is welcoming visitors with hands-on experiences featuring niche tech products. This drone store expects customer foot traffic to grow by 30 to 50% during next week's summit.

According to the store manager, aside from providing translation pens, sales staff have also been trained to pitch products in English and other foreign languages.

Beyond high-tech gadgets, this shopping mall, home to numerous luxury brands, is welcoming visitors with special decorations.

The mall representative says since September, they have partnered with banks to upgrade departure tax refund stations. With a newly added foreign currency refund service, visitors can now exchange currency upon arrival and claim tax refunds on the spot.

Alongside bilingual menu available across all restaurants, the mall has also launched a three-day promotional campaign to encourage visitors to extend their stay after the summit.

Meanwhile, this robotics company is set to host tours for visiting foreign business representatives, hoping to take its innovative, bespoke robotic arms to the global market. The CEO believes their production line in the Pearl River Delta gives their products a competitive edge in both price and quality.

Wang Guangneng, CEO of Huayan Robotics, said: "We wanted to show the leaders from the APEC countries that Huayang robotics is a very good partner. We have very good motors, service drives and jump modules, even robot arms, and these products are very good for system integrators, they can develop their specific application."

This marks the third time China is hosting APEC-and its first in 12 years-with the host city shifting from Beijing and Shanghai to Shenzhen.

Scholars believe hosting the summit in Shenzhen aims to showcase the Greater Bay Area as a fully integrated, well-rounded economy.

While geopolitical headwinds have made cross-border trade more challenging, Tang said the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific roadmap, initiated at the 2014 APEC summit in Beijing, has still delivered a positive impact.

Director of APEC Study Center Prof. Heiwai Tang said, "APEC 2014, which took place in Beijing, initiated these free trade, agreements across Asia-Pacific. I think it has already inspired a lot of other member economies to come up with other free trade agreements, such as RCEP and CPTPP."

Starting this month, authorities have extended the maximum stay for APEC Business Travel Card holders in China from 60 to 90 days to facilitate regional business travel.