The global financial crisis is still spreading in 2009. But, as the world’s third largest economy, China is showing its vigorous huge potential. As an FMCG industry, the Chinese beverage industry has been less affected by the crisis because of its own higher anti-risk ability, the relatively perfect competitiveness in the beverage market and high management level in the enterprises. The newly published authoritative data have showed year-on-year growths of 6.1% and 11.76% for the 1st Quarter GDP and the Jan – Feb Domestic Beverage Sales Revenue, respectively, and over 240 more above-scale companies, which indicates the vigorous against-the-trend prosperity of the Chinese beverage industry.  

As the exchange and trade platforms of new products and technologies for beverage suppliers, beverage-related conventions and exhibitions have been highly attractive to beverage enterprises. The number of participating enterprises reached record highs in both FIC in Mar and Chengdu Spring Confection and Wine Fair in Apr. Visitors from the beverage industry took active part in the exhibitions, where beverage enterprises also sought products which will help to solve the bottleneck problems of enterprise development and technological upgrading. They all hope that, through the affective ways of conventions and exhibitions, beverage suppliers and manufacturers can have face-to-face exchanges and get the newest and most direct information concerned to create chances of continuous breakthrough and development for the Chinese beverage industry.

Beverage-related enterprises have highly appreciated the great efforts made by CBIA in setting up exchange platforms and holding specialized activities to give counsel suggestions for their development. For instance, more than 200 persons attended a specialized meeting on mineral water enterprises convened recently in Kunming, where over 100 mineral water enterprises are actively seeking technology and equipment that can support their high-speed development.

Based upon the principle of serving the beverage industry’s development, CBIA has already realized that an exchange platform of technology and trade covering the entire beverage industrial chain is essential to the Chinese beverage industry, and launched CBST – the top brand exhibition of the Chinese beverage industry in 2003. Seven years has passed, CBST has now become the exclusive professional exhibition of the Chinese beverage industry featured by an independent operation team, a lot of scale exhibitors and numerous professional visitors. CBST 2009 is to be held in Shanghai in Nov, 2009. Being highly confident in CBST 2009, many large-scale beverage manufacturers have expressed that they will actively participate in it. It’s reported that they will have a centralized purchase of equipment with high speed and high stability with a view of improving online efficiency and reducing processing cost. On the other hand, those small- or medium-scale companies hope that they can find at the Exhibition low- and medium-speed machines with high quality and low price, and whole lines compatible with many bottle shapes and beverage categories. Especially interested in the technology and equipment including ultra-violet sterilization, detection devices and COMBI, they have expressed that they will regard CBST 2009 as the optimal platform for the equipment upgrading and technological reforms in their companies.