Shanghai import expo, 5–10 November: registration for Kenyan and other overseas buyers closed 20 October, no on-site sign-up

Online registration for overseas professional visitors to the 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE) closed at 24:00 Beijing time on 20 October, and payment for entry certificates closed at 24:00 on 23 October, according to the expo's FAQ. Kenyan buyers come under this category. The expo runs from 5 to 10 November at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai).

The organisers say on-site regular registration will not be allowed. Registering does not by itself admit a visitor: certificates are made and issued only once the review passes and payment is completed. Overseas professional visitors may attend on 6 to 10 November.

For Kenyans who registered before the deadline, the FAQ sets out the remaining steps.

1. Fees. Certificates cost 200 yuan (about KSh 3,870; about US$29.50, the figure on the Shanghai government's FAQ page) for entry on 6 to 10 November, or 100 yuan (about KSh 1,930) for 8 to 10 November. The shilling figures use the rates of 23 October: KSh 129.89 to the US dollar (Central Bank of Kenya) and 6.7180 yuan to the dollar (China's official central parity rate).
2. Payment. Scan-to-pay (UnionPay, WeChat, Alipay) or cards from the five major international card organisations, which the FAQ lists as MasterCard, Visa, JCB, Diners Club and China UnionPay, as well as mainstream e-wallets including Apple Pay and Google Pay.
3. Collection. A certificate can be sent by express delivery, to addresses in mainland China only and with no extra delivery fee, or collected on site; the collection time and place are sent by email.
4. Refunds. If the personnel review fails, the visitor can request a refund through the CIIE website. Once the review passes and certificate-making starts, refunds and replacements are not allowed.
5. Invitation letter. Foreign nationals can apply after completing registration: sign in to the registration system, go to "Application for Personnel Certificates", choose "Apply Invitation Letter" and download the letter once it is approved.

Public visitors have a separate ticket. Foreigners can register as public visitors but cannot apply for an invitation letter. A public pass costs 50 yuan (about KSh 970) per person per day and is valid for one chosen day among 8, 9 and 10 November. Registration for public visitors also closed on 20 October and payment on 23 October.

The CIIE customer service hotline is +86-21-968888.

On visas, China's National Immigration Administration lists Kenya in its mutual visa exemption agreements only for diplomatic and service passports, with a visa-free stay of 30 days. Its 240-hour visa-free transit list, dated 20 August, names no African country. Foreigners transiting China to a third country can stay up to 24 hours without a visa, with confirmed onward tickets and without leaving the restricted areas of the port.

The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) hosted a meeting at its secretariat in Nairobi with the CIIE organisers, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and Stanbic Bank Kenya, and reported it on 23 June. Those present agreed to work to "ensure a successful Kenyan participation" at the expo, KNCCI said, and discussed business mobilisation, trade promotion, market access and financial solutions for Kenyan firms. The chamber lists +254 203 927 000 and [email protected]; it is on the 2nd Floor, Telkom Plaza-Orange House, Ralph Bunche Road, Nairobi.

At a CIIE seminar for Kenya in Nairobi on 23 June, Zhou Zhencheng, a minister counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, said Kenya is this year's "Export to China" theme country, Xinhua reported. KNCCI president Erick Rutto said Kenya would focus on avocados, macadamia, tea and coffee, along with leather goods and handicrafts. Hua Wei, president of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), said nearly 80 Kenyan companies have exhibited since the first CIIE.

The CIIE will upgrade its special section for African countries that have diplomatic relations with China, CGTN reported from a press conference on 27 July. By then 53 countries and three international organisations had confirmed national pavilions, and more than 1,200 organisations from 99 countries and regions had confirmed company pavilions.