Chile once again had the main Latin American stand at the China Fisheries & Seafood Expo, held November 1-3 in Qindao, China. Twenty Chilean companies participated in the stand, seven with their own meeting spaces, giving Chile a leading role at Asia’s most important seafood fair.

This is the sixth time Chile has participated in this international event, which has emerged over time as the main platform that allows Chilean fishing sector companies to strengthen trade relations with regular clients and to produce contracts with new importers.

A highlight this year was the consolidation of salmon fisheries. Twelve of the 20 Chilean firms at the country’s stand are salmon providers, reflecting a growing interest in this product in China.

“We are very happy with the results of the fair. Chile’s businesspeople held an average of 30 meetings each day with Chinese contacts and importers from around the world who had traveled to Qindao,” explained Chile’s Trade Attaché in Beijing, Andreas Pierotic.

He added that several of the participating Chilean firms do not yet export to China, which is indicative of the interest in this Asian market for seafood products. “This event grows each year, and we hope that Chile will continue to play a leading role with more companies at our stand and beyond.”

Seafood Products in China

Thanks to the 11 year-old FTA between Chile and China—which exempts Chilean seafood from tariffs in China—as well as ongoing public-private marketing efforts in the market and the high quality of Chilean seafood products, these products currently enjoy an important position on the Chinese market.

In 2016, Chile positioned itself as China’s top provider of mussels and second largest provider of seaweed according to Chinese Customs Service data. China is also Chile’s top destination for spider crab and lobster exports.

In 2016, Chile exported US$5.401 billion worth of seafood products. Shipments to China totaled US$390.4 million during that period. There was a 13% increase between January and September 2017 compared to the same period in 2016. The key products on the Chinese market are fresh and frozen salmon, king crab, cuttlefish, bacalao and seaweed.

The following companies participated in the Chile stand: Manuelita Acuicultura, Fiordosur Group, Pesquera Landes, Agrosuper, Pesquera Villa Alegre, Integra Chile, Camanchaca, New Concisa Chile, Salmones Aysén, Pacific Gold, Sudmaris Chile / Salmones Austral, ISAM Chile, St. Andrews Mussels, Productos del Mar Ventisqueros, Pure Nature, Empresas AquaChile, Cisandina, Pesquera Magallanes and FoodCorp Chile.

Click here to view the photo gallery from China Fisheries 2017.