"The good quality and good price China-made products really attract international buyers, " said Global Source president Merle Hinrichs on Friday.

He told a group of journalists in Hong Kong that over 70,000 buyers from 199 countries and regions have registered to visit the China Sourcing Fair -- Gifts & Home Products to be held at AsiaWorld Expo, Hong Kong between April 22 and 25.

He said, the over 2,500 exhibitors came from 12 countries and regions including Chinese mainland, China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and China's Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, France, United States and some other countries.

He said about 55 percent of the exhibitors came from the Chinese mainland and it will be the first time for many of them to show their strength to the international buyers and it will be a good chance for the Chinese mainland companies to seek international buyers.

About 800 Hong Kong exhibitors and another 500 Taiwan exhibitors are expected to make the fair really a China sourcing fair.

He said, together with the Practical World Hong Kong exhibition co-sponsored with Koelnmesse company, the two exhibitions will occupy all of the 10 exhibition halls of the AsiaWorld Expo and have 3,600 booths.

He said in an interview with Xinhua that international buyers could not find any other place to supply with products with so good quality and so reasonable price except China.

Hinrichs said world top-level buyers including world second chain retailer Carrefour, America's third largest retailer Sears and top Germany retailer Metro.

He said a number of members of the Agentrics, which groups 50 world major retailers, have registered to visit the fairs.

He said the annual sales volume of the Agentirics is about 1, 000 billion U.S. dollars.

Hinrichs said moving the gifts fair from Shanghai to Hong Kong is only for the reason of space. The AsiaWorld Expo, which became operational since last December, is the best place for his company to showcase the products of so many exhibitors.

He believed that the appearance of so many Chinese mainland suppliers is one of the attractiveness for the international buyers.

Hinrichs, who is working in Hong Kong, said he has been living a life with a close connection with China-made products.

Living in Hong Kong, he takes drink water from the Chinese mainland every day and often buy China-made products. He wore on Friday a Hong Kong made dark blue western style suit.

He said world consumers can have a wider range of choice with the appearing of more Chinese mainland supplier in the fairs.

Talking about the ongoing Hong Kong Houseware Fair, which opened on Friday at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, Hinrichs said the similar fairs can complement each other, and buyers can have a wider range of choice.

He said Hong Kong is really a good place for hosting exhibitions, the large exhibition Venus, considerable number of overseas buyers regional offices and considerable number of overseas buyers transmitting via Hong Kong International Airport during the booming exhibition seasons as April and expertise of the exhibition industry.

He said the global sales volume of holiday commodities grew by 4.6 percent on an average and in the first 10 months of 2005, China exported 1.8 billion U.S. dollar worth of Christmas Day related products while only the United Stated imported 821 million U.S. dollars worth of China-made Christmas products including Christmas trees, lights and decorations.

He said it unfair to blame China for its trade surplus to some other countries, "which country can resists the attractiveness of China-made products" and the importing of the China-made products are also the choice of more international retailers and it will be the interest of ordinary consumers to use China-made products, he believed.

Source: Xinhua