The 13th International Islamic Exhibition to Be Held in the UAE

The 13th International Halal Exhibition will be held from 24 to 29 April 2011 at the Expo Centre Sharjah in the UAE. The exhibition will mainly showcase Halal food, Muslim goods, household goods and other major Muslim consumer products.

The International Halal Exhibition is a comprehensive exhibition to promote business, trade and investment cooperation among enterprises of the organization's 57 member states. It has played a major role in promoting trade cooperation among Muslim enterprises and has become one of the largest and most influential international large-scale exhibitions in the Middle East. The exhibition is held every two years, rotating among key cities of the member states.

The previous exhibition was held in 2009 in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, where about 100,000-plus merchants from more than 60 countries and regions came to visit, negotiate and purchase goods, including more than 80,000 professional merchants. More than 80% of the professional visitors came from industries such as mechanical and electrical products, electronics and electrical appliances, clothing fabrics, halal food and Muslim goods, making it the largest trade platform for cooperation among Muslim enterprises.

The host this time, the UAE, is the largest trade center and entrepot for re-export goods in the Middle East, with an excellent geographical location and a wide market radiation. In addition, the government allows the free import and export of goods; the country has no restrictions on foreign exchange receipts and payments, which can be freely exchanged and circulated; the tax rate for re-export trade is 1%, and goods re-exported to other regions within 6 months can be tax-free. Therefore, it is called the 'world's largest free trade zone' and the 'Hong Kong of the Middle East.'

Through Sharjah, goods can be re-sold to the Gulf region, Eastern Europe, Africa and South Asia, radiating to a population of as many as 1.3 billion, helping Chinese Muslim enterprises open up the UAE and Middle East international markets and advance economic and trade cooperation with countries around the world, making considerable contributions.

The contents of this exhibition are as follows:

Exhibition name: The 13th International Halal Exhibition

Exhibition dates: 24-29 April 2011

Exhibition venue: Expo Centre Sharjah, UAE

Organizer: OIC

Co-organizers: Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, UAE; Expo Centre Sharjah, UAE

Exhibition scale: four halls, 16,000 square meters, with more than 1,000 indoor booths

China exhibition area: 500 square meters, 60 standard booths

Exhibition scope: halal food, Muslim goods, household goods,

hardware and machinery, electronics and electrical appliances, light industry and textiles, building materials and furniture

Currently, the global total trade volume of Halal-certified halal food and Muslim goods exceeds two trillion US dollars, yet Chinese enterprises hold less than 0.1% of this market share. Therefore, the halal food and Muslim goods industry has broad market opportunities and space globally, and the 13th Halal Exhibition will be a convenient channel for relevant Chinese enterprises to open up international markets.