On October 30, the "Implementation Opinions on Expanding Green Trade" (hereinafter referred to as the "Implementation Opinions") was publicly released. On the 31st, the Information Office of the State Council held a regular policy briefing to introduce the relevant situation of expanding green trade. When answering questions such as what explorations and attempts have been made to enhance the green level of exhibitions, Wang Zhihua, director of the Foreign Trade Department of the Ministry of Commerce, who attended the briefing, said that promoting the green development of exhibitions is a practical measure to expand green trade and an inevitable requirement for the high-quality development of the exhibition industry.
Wang Zhihua, Director-General of the Department of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Commerce
Wang Zhihua stated that key exhibitions such as the Canton Fair are already at the forefront of green development practices. Both the Canton Fair and the China International Import Expo (CIIE) have achieved "two 100-percent targets": 100 percent of their power supply comes from green energy, and 100 percent of their special exhibition booths meet green standards. Moving forward, further efforts will be made to advance the green transformation of exhibitions in three aspects.
1. Strengthen standardized management of green exhibitions We will continue to emphasize green orientation in exhibition management. By clarifying rules and requirements, we will guide organizers to put environmental protection concepts into practice. For instance, all foreign-related economic and technological exhibitions held in China must strictly implement plastic restriction regulations, prohibiting the use of non-degradable plastic bags. Organizers are required to summarize the implementation of this requirement after each exhibition, turning green exhibition organization from an "optional choice" into a "mandatory task." ---
2. Enhance statistical monitoring of green exhibitions Since 2022, in accordance with the newly revised statistical survey system for the exhibition industry, several green-related indicators have been specially added to exhibition statistics, including green construction area, electricity consumption, and waste discharge. This is like conducting a "green health check" for exhibitions, enabling more accurate monitoring of their energy consumption levels and emission reduction effects. These indicators were further optimized in May this year to make the data more scientific and accurate, better providing data support for improving the green development level of exhibitions. ---
3. Intensify standard guidance for green exhibitions In recent years, a series of industry standards have been successively issued, such as the *Guidelines for the Design and Production of Environmental Protection Exhibition Booths*, the *Evaluation Standards for Environmental Protection Exhibition Booths*, and *Green Exhibition Halls*. These standards provide clear operational guidelines, allowing enterprises to follow rules in design and construction. We will continue to improve this standard system, turning green exhibition arrangement from a "demonstration practice" into a "standard practice." Wang Zhihua emphasized that in the next step, we will continue to promote construction, standardized management, statistical monitoring, and standard guidance. We will support green technology innovation, promote the normalization of green exhibition arrangement and participation, and enable China's exhibition industry to develop further and more steadily on the path of high-quality development.
