The Embassy of Iceland Had Busy Days in Shanghai

The Embassy of Iceland had busy days in Shanghai in relation to the China International Import Expo (CIIE).  Five companies were represented at the Icelandic stand: the cosmetic brand BioEffect, Omnom Chocolate, Reykjavik Distillery, Life Iceland and the Icelandic distillery Eimverk. Two Icelandic companies exhibited at the Nordic health stand, notably Controlant and Innolink, both newcomers to the CIIE. And last but not the least, the high-tech prosthetic company Össur from Iceland had as before its own stand. In addition, Iceland had this year a Digital Pavilion giving deeper insight into what Iceland and Icelandic companies can offer China.  

After attending the opening of CIIE,  Ambassador Thórir Ibsen visited the three stands of the Icelandic companies and witnessed the signing of commercial agreement between the Icelandic distillery Eimverk and the Chinese company Poly Liquor. Ambassador Thórir Ibsen concluded his visit to the CIIE with a meeting with Vice Minister SUN of the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) and gave a speech at the CIIE GACC Summit on High-quality Development of Non-tariff Measures to Trade, where he addressed current challenges faced by Icelandic companies exporting to China, namely the Covid quarantine measures and the new custom´s registration system.

Other meetings in Shanghai included a visit to Juneyao Air, meeting at the head-quarters of Össur with the CEO and local officials, meeting with the Director of the Polar Institute of China to discuss China´s Arctic research and the science cooperation between China and Iceland, and meeting at the Shanghai Institute of International Studies about the Arctic and other global challenges.