The first China International Vegetable Industry Fair opened on 12 April 2013 in Cangshan County, Shangdong Province. The fair was co-hosted by the China Good Agri-products Development and Service Association (CGADSA), the Department of Agriculture of Shangdong Province and Linyi Municipal Government. The ceremony brought together over 4,000 participants, including foreign diplomats in China and people from the business community. A total of 322 Chinese and foreign businesses participated in this Fair. Director of Coordination Li Tao of the ACC was invited to the opening ceremony and other related events.
Director Li met with officials from the CGADSA and the Linyi Municipal Government, offering congratulations from the ACC on the opening of the Fair and expressing wishes to work with all parties to raise the business cooperation with ASEAN countries to a new height. Those officials thanked the ACC for sending representatives, appreciated and responded to suggestions from the ACC, and looked forward to closer cooperation with the ACC in the future.
According to the statistics from the Department of Commerce of Shandong, ASEAN had been Shangdong's second largest trading partner for 7 consecutive months by October 2012, with exports of $24 billion for the first 10 months of the year. Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam are Shandong's major trading partners, importing garlic, garlic bolt, burdock and processed agricultural goods.