67 countries, regions to join cultural expo in Beijing

The 13th China Beijing International Cultural and Creative Industry Expo (ICCIE) will be held in Beijing from Oct. 25-28. Delegations from 67 countries and regions such as the U.S., France and the U.K. will participate in the event.

This was revealed at a press conference held on Oct. 16 by Lin Bin, deputy director of the ICCIE Organizing Committee Office and deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

According to Lin, this year's expo will present a total exhibition area of 45,000 square meters to promote the themes of the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, as well as the Belt and Road Initiative. Eleven trade promotion talks, 10 forums, seven creative activities, and more than 40 affiliated events will be organized to showcase China's rich traditional culture and promote international cultural exchanges.

"The degree of internationalization will be greatly improved for this year's ICCIE," Lin said, adding that the third edition of the Exhibition of Distinctive Culture of Countries along the Belt and Road route will be held in the main exhibition venue, and so is an exhibition of Beijing's international popularization of science. Embassies in China from nearly 40 countries along the Belt and Road route and the Representative Office in China of the Arab League will participate in the exhibition, and promote cultural and tourism resources at the event.

Meanwhile, the 2nd ASEAN Culture Week will be held in the sub-venue, featuring more than 10 special events such as the ASEAN folk costume fashion show, artistic performance show, the ASEAN cultural corridor, and folk craft exchange platform, etc. An cultural and artist exchange exhibition of presenting more than 200 pieces of art and treasures from the countries and regions of the Silk Road and Maritime Silk Road will also be held.

In addition, this year's ICCIE will host a business salon to introduce new business and investment opportunities in the cultural and creative industry along the Belt and Road route and to create a broader space for international cooperation. Also, the International Sports Industry Exhibition will showcase sports brands from countries along the Belt and Road route, as well as sports cooperation projects between China and those countries.

Lin said that at the moment, international organizations such as the UNESCO, the World Trade Center Association, the ASEAN, and 67 countries and regions including the U.S., France, the U.K., Italy, Greece, and Switzerland have sent delegations to Beijing. Lee Byong-hyun, chairman of the UNESCO executive board, is confirmed as a keynote speaker. In addition, more than 20 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities such as Tianjin, Hebei, and Shanghai will participate in the event, and more than 1,200 companies are expected to participate.

According to Lin, the first 12 editions of the ICCIE attracted 651 government and business delegations from more than 100 countries and regions, received 17,862 overseas professionals, and organized 1,439 events. The total number of participants reached 12.93 million.