China takes center stage at Argentina's biggest home show

BUENOS AIRES, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- China has taken center stage at the on-going Argentina's largest expos: Presentes-Exhibition of Decoration, Lighting, Furniture, Gifts and Household Items.

The 2016 spring edition of the show, which takes place twice a year, features the latest trends in furniture, decorative items, lighting, kitchenware, linens, gifts and Christmas decor.

Presentes, which opened Wednesday and runs through Saturday at La Rural, the largest exposition venue in Buenos Aires, serves to exclusively showcase the leading wholesalers in the market for home goods.

China has "the participants with the largest scope, those who take up the most square meters, those with the most experience," Gustavo Koroyan, director of the show's executive committee, told Xinhua.

Argentinian importers generally travel to China twice a year to find out about the latest products and innovations in home goods, said Koroyan.

"The relationship is very direct, because many companies supply themselves with products from China," he said.

Argentina's home segment relies on China "not just for gift and bazaar items," said Koroyan, adding the pavilion displaying furniture, lighting and decorations includes "imported goods, generally from China."

Argentina's trade with China "is very good, it benefits growth and the finances of companies. Today both importers and national manufacturers rely on imports," he said.

"Trade with China is very fluid ... and allows each company to develop through the years," said Koroyan. "This sector depends on China's economy when it prepares products, innovations and trends."

Presentes, now in its 15th year, holds its fall show in March and its spring show in August. This edition was sponsored in part by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC).

This edition features more than 400 participating manufacturers or importers at the city's 30,000-square-meter exposition center.

Argentina and China established diplomatic ties in 1972, and have since entered into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

A leading producer and exporter of agricultural products, Argentina is looking to boost its value-added exports of high-tech goods to China, in a bid to diversify its economy.

China, in turn, has helped Buenos Aires strengthen strategic industries, such as railroads, hydraulic engineering and nuclear energy, while Argentina's advanced technology in the area of agriculture has helped China improve its food security.