Local Businesses Can Explore Profitable Opportunities in China According to CITD

RIVERSIDE, Calif.-(Business Wire)-March 13, 2007 - Businesses hoping to cash in on rapidly emerging markets in China can test the waters immediately, thanks to an opportunity offered by the Center for International Trade Development (CITD).

Robert Corona, director of the Riverside office, says CITD is offering two seven-day trip packages to the largest and most prestigious trade convention in China, the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, April 14 and April 24.

Inaugurated in the spring of 1957, the Canton Fair has exploded in popularity to the point where last year it drew more than 195,000 visitors from 210 countries. More than 9,000 Chinese companies will have exhibits at the 2006 Canton Fair.

Over the last five years, U.S. exports to China have risen 114 percent, making it by far the fastest-growing major market for American businesses. Bestselling author Tim Clissold, a British accounting and auditing expert, calls China "the largest untapped market on Earth."

At CITD - funded through the California Community Colleges' Economic and Workforce Development Program - Corona endeavors to stimulate international trade by matchmaking qualified importers and exporters. His focus this spring will be China.

"We've created an efficient seven-day trade mission," Corona said, "designed for small- and medium-sized companies who are looking to access the Chinese market for outsourcing, as well as import and export."

The CITD excursion is offered at $1,890 per person, double occupancy, or $2,390 per person, single occupancy. For that price, travelers get:

— Roundtrip airfare from Los Angeles to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific Airways

— All hotel accommodations in Guangzhou (four-star hotel)

— Daily hotel breakfast and a welcome dinner

— Ground transportation within China

— Business matchmaking, with contacts and meetings at the Canton Fair