In a first-ever nations-level exhibition focusing on supply chains, Beijing hosts an international conference, “China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE).” The expo covers five significant themes: Smart cars, green agriculture, clean energy, digital technology, and health. It showcased new products and services from all over the world, with 515 Chinese and international exhibitors from 55 countries and regions. Among the 134 international participants, a notable 1/5th are American, including big names like Apple, Amazon, Tesla, FedEx, and ExxonMobil. But, crucially, the expo is being seen as Beijing’s answer to Washington’s “de-risking” approach in the face of several multinationals exploring supply chain relocations to avoid fallouts of the China-US tech rivalry. On the one hand, the expo shows China is self-sufficient in certain areas, especially in the electric vehicle and clean energy industries, with Chinese companies like CATL already dominating Global production of EV batteries. It also tries to demonstrate that it remains the ‘go-to’ place for foreign companies to maximize profits. Tesla, for example, is showing how its Shanghai factory produces a new car every 40 seconds as a testament to China’s supply chain prowess. While the expo is trying to demonstrate China’s supply chain resilience, it is more important for Beijing to bid for new connections. But beyond self-sufficiency, China is sending a clear message that it wants to work with the world. In his speech at the opening ceremony of China’s first global supply chain expo, Chinese Premier Li Qiang warned that uncontrolled globalization, rising protectionism, public health crisis, and geopolitical conflicts are the main risk factors for global supply chains. He also took a stand against de-risking, a move pushed by the United States and the European Union to reduce company dependence on China, especially in high-technology areas. Disruptions in supply chains in recent years have brought the importance of diversification to the forefront. While this typically has to do with mitigating risk due to geopolitics, it also has to do with countries, including the United States, being unprepared for the pandemic and waking up to the reality that stocks for essential and strategic goods were not at levels where they should be. While previously cost and efficiency used to be the driving force for supply chains, now we are seeing risk mitigation becoming more and more critical despite the fact that this may mean higher costs. This China International Supply Chain Expo comes about at a time when we see the twin phenomena of globalization along with increased protectionism. For instance, during and post-pandemic, on one hand, some countries responded to concerns about supply chains by opening the markets and providing incentives for foreign direct investment; on the other hand, there were countries that kept their borders closed, keeping their medical supplies within their own nations. The reality is that global supply chains have begun to unravel movement in terms of US engagement with Asia, principally in semiconductors, has already started. For some time now, US companies have become more wary than they’ve been in a long time about doing business in China. This sentiment is reflected in China’s annual survey AmCham,, in which most of its more than 900 members no longer regard China as a top-three investment priority. This latest expo follows close to a six-day China International Import Expo (CIIE) held in Shanghai in October. The Shanghai Expo was also widely used by Beijing to highlight its consumer market and fight against decoupling efforts, with the event previously attended by individual firms, trade organizations, and regional officials. In an effort to position itself as a champion of globalization, the supply chain expo being hosted by Beijing is a message directed primarily to foreign companies that China is open for business to portray that it is still the manufacturing hub of the world. China is pushing to convince these companies that China is opening its market and improving the business environment. This is indeed going to be a heavy lift because there are a lot of concerns in boardrooms, particularly in the US and Europe, that companies need to diversify and not be overly reliant on China for not only its market but also inputs for their supply chains. Source: The EurAsian Times

A two-day long —27 and 28 July—international education fair titled "Premier Bank 7th FACD-CAB, International Education EXPO 2023" concluded in InterContinental Dhaka hotel on Saturday. The Foreign Admission and Career Development Consultants Association of Bangladesh (FACD-CAB) organised the expo to promote higher education in abroad. Premier Bank was the title sponsor of the expo. A total of 80 foreign admission and career development consultants association of Bangladesh participated at the event. Visitors crowd at these stalls were eye-catching. Stall number 70-71 of the fair is 'BD Expert Education'. The consultants of the association said, they were assisting the students coming to the fair by providing various information for free higher education in abroad. including America, Canada, Australia and London. Habibullah Khan, one of the organiser of the summit said, "Each organizations participating in the fair belongs to their association. They make sure that no one gets cheated by them. Apart from this, they also talk with foreign ambassadors if necessary."

India and Israel are set to partner for the 17th Everything About Water Expo 2022 to be held in New Delhi from August 4-6, Israel's embassy in New Delhi said on Thursday. This further strengthens the ongoing cooperation between Israel and India in the field of water. Four high-level water experts from Israel will take part in this event. They will share their knowledge in a session that will focus on the Israeli model for water management, policy regulations, water technologies, R&D implementation and the Israel-India water partnership. "Today Israel recycles 90 per cent of its wastewater- making it the number one global leader when it comes to wastewater recycling. By adopting a holistic approach to water consumption that encompasses good management, high tech development and public education, Israel has transformed from a water-parched nation to a global leader in the field of water," the embassy said in a press release.   Another highlight of the event will be the participation of 8 leading Israeli water companies that will showcase cutting-edge water technologies at the National Pavilion of Israel. As per the release, these participating companies will introduce their solutions related to water distribution and management, filtration, leak detection, wastewater treatment, desalination and water security. Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador of Israel to India Naor Gilon said, "It is our great pleasure to be a part of the 17th Everything About Water Expo 2022 as a country partner. This will be a great platform for Israeli and Indian companies to form partnerships and explore future collaborations in the water sector. I invite everyone to come to the Israeli Pavilion, where Israeli companies will share their innovative water solutions, best practices and technologies." The 17th Everything About Water Expo 2022 will showcase the latest technologies and solutions in the water sector. According to the release, Israel's participation in this event as a country partner, at a time when both countries are celebrating 30 years of diplomatic relations, will further boost Israel-India cooperation in water management. The importance of this partnership can be understood from the fact that both countries signed two major water agreements to increase cooperation in water conservation and state water utility reform during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Israel in 2017. "Also, India is the only country wherein Israel has the position of Water Attache to help share Israeli best practices and technologies for advancements in India's water management sector," the release said.   Source: ANI

Over 18 countries have participated in International Police Expo-2022 showcasing their advanced firearms and Artificial Intelligence-based safety system for the protection of society on Wednesday at Pragati maidan in New Delhi. Senior police officers from Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab and several others states visited the stalls and took information on the latest technology available to deal with any law and order situation. Visitors have seen a demo of an AI-based facial recognition system that can identify suspects with masked faces and eyes covered with goggles. The software-based system requires just 40 per cent of the face from any angle to get the person identified from the list saved on the server. Organized by Nexgen Exhibitions, International Police Expo 2022 will end on Thursday. It is hosting over 350 world-class companies from various countries such as the UK, US, Israel, Germany, France, Dubai, UAE, Singapore, Australia, Russia, Spain, Italy, Denmark and Sweden. Highlighting the key attractions, Mukesh Kharia, Organizer, International Police Expo said, "With this gala inaugural of our two-day International police expo, we are confident that senior police and law enforcement officials, security agencies, government representatives and professionals will successfully connect and interact with global and domestic manufacturers, suppliers and innovators so as to shape up a bright future for policing and homeland security in India."   With mob violence emerging as a serious challenge for policing in India, companies from various countries are displaying their latest innovations and technologies for mob and riot controlling. "With significant advances in technology and AI, Facial Recognition today has become increasingly valuable for authorities and agencies to rapidly extract biometric imprints of perpetrators in mob or riot situations. Corsight's technology enables authorities/agencies to quickly run investigations in order to resolve dangerous situations and identify those involved. This can be done in large crowds, with poor lighting, obscure camera angles and even with individuals wearing sunglasses or masks.", says Prashant Kaul, Regional Sales Director, Corsight.ai. India's leading companies and government organizations such as PLR Systems - Adani Group, (Advanced Weapons), Cellebrite, (Internationally acclaimed company for mobile forensic), Pelorus Technologies (Forensic products), Ordnance Equipment Factory - A Unit of Troop Comforts Limited, Munitions India Ltd (Ministry of Defense, Government of India), Advanced Weapon and Equipment India Ltd. (Govt. of India Enterprise, Ministry of Defense), Abbott Diagnostics Medical Private Limited (Narcotic Drug Test) are participating at the 7th edition of International Police Expo. "We are the leading manufacturers of indigenous quick response hand-held anti-drone systems for use by security and police forces for countering rogue drones and unauthorized photography. We are displaying our state-of-the-art three-channel system and projecting a seven-channel system at International Police Expo 2022.", says Col. Balaram Pillai, Head, Defence & Aerospace, HILD Defense and Aerospace Pvt Ltd. On-road safety, a Noida-based company Sparsh CCTV has developed a breath analyzer that can detect alcohol presence from a distance of two feet. It will help to curb drunk driving cases where drivers refuse to undergo a breathalyzer test claiming of getting Covid by blowing into the meter, official data said.   Source: ANI

India’s Tourism Fortnight at EXPO2020 Dubai concluded yesterday with the sector highlighting the country’s core strengths across different areas of tourism including medical, luxury, adventure, sustainability and MICE. Inaugurated on January 3 by Rakesh Kumar Verma, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, the inaugural session highlighted the new policy framework by the Ministry of Tourism and unveiled five missions that will boost growth in the sector. The Tourism Sector Floor at the India Pavilion showcased the various facets highlighting India as a tourism destination and the growth potential across different kinds of tourism. The five missions included were National Green Tourism Mission, to mainstream sustainability in the tourism sector; National Digital Tourism Mission, to digitalise the sector; Sectoral Mission on skill development to ensure that the country has the best trained and qualified manpower to maintain high standards of service; National Mission on Destination Management to focus on ensuring synergy and coordination amongst public and private stakeholders and National Mission on Tourism MSMEs to support and facilitate the start-ups, micro, small and medium enterprises. The inaugural session was also attended by Hoor Al Khaja, Associate Vice President, International Operations – Department of Economy and Tourism of Dubai, where she talked about India’s importance as a global tourist destination. The Tourism Fortnight comprised various sessions which were presided over by representatives from the Ministry of Tourism and various Indian states including Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir among others. The session on medical tourism was crucial in highlighting India’s strengths and the ability of the country to offer both modern and traditional systems of medicines, thereby, providing a holistic healing destination across the world. The session on luxury tourism focused on showcasing the changing face of luxury tourism in India, luxury tourist destinations across the country and initiatives taken by the Government to make travel safe and secure. The session on spiritual tourism highlighted the opportunities and potential for India to become a hub for spiritual and religious tourism, as the country offers vast cultural and religious diversity. The session on MICE tourism was also pivotal in showcasing India’s impressive combination of accommodation and conference support facilities that make the country a successful MICE destination globally. As a part of World Majlis event, Off the Beaten Path - Travel in the 21st Century, held on January 13, Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, talked about the ways in which the tourism sector in India is evolving. Given the growing importance of sustainable tourism, the session on sustainable tourism was crucial to address key challenges for the tourism sector and the ways in which the future of tourism can be shaped by sustainable and responsible policies and action by the governments and private sector. The sessions held during the ‘Tourism Fortnight’ were crucial in showcasing India’s geographical diversity, potential as a tourist destination and highlighting India’s roadmap for the sector. Source: The UAE

The UAE Ambassador to India, Dr. Ahmed Al Banna, has expressed confidence that 'there will be a strong number of visitors from India to Expo 2020 Dubai.' Speaking at a media briefing to launch a major public awareness campaign about the world exposition opening in Dubai in a fortnight, Dr. Al Banna said there has been a strong commitment from the leadership in India to the success of Expo 2020 Dubai. He attributed this to the "geographical proximity between the UAE and India, their closeness and the special relationship" enjoyed by the two countries. Expo 2020 Dubai has been one of the key points in recent conversations between Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar and other prominent Indians with leaders and officials in the UAE. The Ambassador said visits from India to the six-month-long mega event are expected to be very high "especially now that we have eased the procedures for entering the UAE and there is a different protocol that we apply for Covid-19." Dr. Al Banna stressed the importance of collaboration between the UAE and India in emerging sectors such as information technology, education and healthcare in terms of shaping the future of the young generation in both countries. Such cooperation will be critical in creating the right workforce after the pandemic abates. Source: Khaleej Times