Global Sources opens door to larger ASEAN trade with debut of China Sourcing Fairs in Singapore

SINGAPORE, Nov. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Global Sources (Nasdaq: GSOL) (http://www.globalsources.com) brings its highly successful trade show series to Singapore for the first time with the opening of the China Sourcing Fairs today.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20030303/LNM011LOGO-b )

Running through Nov. 24 at the Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre, the China Sourcing Fairs (http://www.chinasourcingfair.com) comprise six specialty shows featuring Greater China suppliers' latest gifts and premiums, home products, garments and textiles, hardware and building materials, auto parts and accessories, and food and beverage products.

Global Sources' India Sourcing Fair with high-quality decorative and functional products from India suppliers is also making its Singapore debut at the same time and venue.

The concurrent trade shows offer international buyers more than 580 booths of products from quality Asian suppliers.

Attending the opening ceremony for the inaugural China Sourcing Fairs in Singapore were Li Minglin, Minister and Counselor of Economic and Commercial Section of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Singapore, Ruan Weixing, Vice-Chairman, Fujian Chamber of Commerce of Import & Export and Merle A. Hinrichs, Global Sources’ Chairman and CEO.

Singapore shows make sourcing easier for buyers in ASEAN

China's trade with ASEAN has soared by nearly 50 percent after a free trade agreement between the two sides became effective in January 2010. With costs effectively lowered and trade barriers removed in thousands of product categories under the agreement, China-ASEAN trade in the January-October period reached US$235 billion.

President of Global Sources Exhibitions, Tommy Wong, said: "As Singapore is a major trading center in ASEAN, this makes it an ideal location for hosting China Sourcing Fairs. By bringing our shows to Singapore, Global Sources offers ASEAN as well as international buyers operating in the region a convenient platform for meeting and doing business with Greater China suppliers."

At the recent ASEAN-China Summit, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao put forward the goal of US$500 billion in China-ASEAN trade by 2015. This will further enhance relations between China and ASEAN.

Buying power across ASEAN, home to 600 million people, is strengthening, with many member states experiencing strong GDP growth. The World Bank projects the size of the middle class in Southeast Asia to increase 13-fold within two decades. This represents tremendous potential for trade expansion in ASEAN.

Singapore tourism representatives are also enthusiastic about the shows. "Singapore has built a robust calendar of business events over the years, supported by world-class facilities and excellent services. We are delighted to welcome the China Sourcing Fairs into our calendar of business events in Singapore, and believe they add to the vibrancy of our business events landscape, reinforcing Singapore's position as a leading destination for tradeshows in the region.  We welcome all international delegates and exhibitors and hope they will enjoy all the sights, sounds and tastes Singapore has to offer," said Edward Chew, Director, Exhibitions and Conferences of Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau.

Wong concluded: "China has emerged as ASEAN's largest trading partner. Launching China Sourcing Fairs in strategically positioned Singapore, the world's second-largest entrepot after Hong Kong, will help suppliers from Greater China explore ASEAN markets more efficiently."

Dates and times of the shows

Opening times for the China Sourcing Fairs and the India Sourcing Fair are:

• Nov. 22-23 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Nov. 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

More details about the China Sourcing Fairs and India Sourcing Fair in Singapore are available at http://www.chinasourcingfair.com/singapore.

About Global Sources

Global Sources is a leading business-to-business media company and a primary facilitator of trade with Greater China. The core business uses English-language media to facilitate trade from Greater China to the world. The other business segment utilizes Chinese-language media to enable companies to sell to, and within Greater China.

The company provides sourcing information to volume buyers and integrated marketing services to suppliers. It helps a community of over 967,000 active buyers source more profitably from complex overseas supply markets. With the goal of providing the most effective ways possible to advertise, market and sell, Global Sources enables suppliers to sell to hard-to-reach buyers in over 240 countries.

The company offers the most extensive range of media and export marketing services in the industries it serves. It delivers information on over 4.7 million products and more than 262,000 suppliers annually through 14 online marketplaces, 13 monthly print and 18 digital magazines, over 80 sourcing research reports and 20 specialized trade shows which run 57 times a year across 9 cities.

Suppliers receive more than 192 million sales leads annually from buyers through Global Sources Online (http://www.globalsources.com) alone.

Global Sources has been facilitating global trade for 40 years. Global Sources' network covers more than 60 cities worldwide. In mainland China, Global Sources has about 2,700 team members in more than 40 locations, and a community of over 2 million registered online users and magazine readers for its Chinese-language media.

SOURCE Global Sources