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2-day Lifestyle Expo opens in Dubai

The two-day Lifestyle Expo opened yesterday in Dubai to foster business collaboration between Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland and the UAE as well as the rest of the Middle East-Africa (MEA) region, helping companies seize the enormous business opportunities emerging from China's Belt and Road Initiative and Expo 2020 Dubai.
The event showcases products from about 110 Hong Kong and mainland companies to an expected 1,300 buyers from the UAE, Iran and Africa.
Exhibits include consumer electronics, information and communications technology (ICT) products, household products and electrical appliances, fashion and fashion accessories, gifts and premiums, as well as watches and clocks.
Stephen Liang, HKTDC Assistant Executive Director, said: "The Lifestyle Expo in Dubai serves as an ideal platform for suppliers from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland and buyers from the Middle East and Africa to forge business partnerships," said Liang. "This cooperation between Hong Kong, the mainland and the UAE creates synergy to our mutual benefit."
He said such collaboration is especially important in view of the Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to connect markets in more than 60 countries spanning Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe, including Hong Kong and the UAE. These economies represent about 4.6 billion potential consumers and accounting for over 30 per cent of global merchandise trade.
The UAE is Hong Kong's largest trading partner and export market in the Middle East. Bilateral trade between the two places grew at an average annual rate of 14 per cent from $4.80 billion in 2010 to $10.6 billion in 2016.
Hong Kong's exports to the UAE grew 13 per cent to $6.8 billion last year, led by exports of pearls, precious and semi-precious stones, telecom equipment and parts and jewellery.
waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com