Over 400 companies brought more than 50,000 glittering exhibits to the 2nd China (Qixian County) Glassware Expo and the Belt and Road SME Special Industrial Products Fair in Qixian county, Shanxi province, on Oct 11-12. 

The event was sponsored by the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Light Industrial Products and Arts-Crafts, or the CCCLA. Fellow sponsors were the China National Association for Glass Industry, the Shanxi Small-sized Enterprise Development Promotion Bureau and the Qixian county government,

Organizers said the event focused on promoting international business and aimed to explore opportunities for industry partnerships with countries along the Belt and Road for local small and medium-sized enterprises, or SMEs. 

The expo rewarded goblets, machine-made utensils, decanters and creativity awards to 12 exhibitors, and promoted eight projects including a glass industry new city project. 

During the two-day event a range of activities took place, including a sitting of the CCCLA Glassware Branch Council. 

There was also a foreign trade seminar on glassware and international business. A Daily Glassware International Summit and a Sino-foreign SME Cooperation Zone Symposium were also staged, with attendees discussing glassware-related commodity trading, technological innovation, culture and art exchanges.

Glassware is a specialty and also the first pillar industry of Qixian county. 

Industry experts say that after centuries of development, local glassware has formed a formidable industrial cluster with a complete product range, leading technology and a comprehensive industrial chain – all of which enjoy export advantages and huge development potential. 

The county has won the many titles for its glassware production – such as "China Glassware Production and Export Base" and "China's glassware capital". 

In recent years, it has been promoting the Belt and Road Initiative and cooperated with 46 countries along the B&R in trade, investment and communications. 

More than 8,000 varieties of glassware products in 10 product ranges have been exported to over 80 countries and regions. The glassware industry's output value hit 4.2 billion yuan ($594.80 million) in 2018. 

Early this July, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology gave the green light to Qixian county to establish a Belt and Road SMEs Industrial Cooperation Zone.

This will be the first national-level SME Sino-foreign cooperative zone named after the BRI.