Recently, the second Lhasa Import Expowas held at the Convention and Exhibition Center ofthe Xizang Autonomous Region, China. Over 10,000 types of commodities from 31 countries and regions converged in Lhasa, creating a "Global Goods Expoon the Plateau." The venue was bustling with activity.

In the "Imported Wines" exhibition area, the French red wine booth attracted numerous tasters. "We have many Tibetan customers, and the red wine market in Xizang is larger than I imagined," said Geoffrey, a French wine merchant who participated in the exhibition for the first time. "Before the expo, a former customer invited me to have Tibetan cuisine and discuss potential collaborations."

Some exhibitors have become "regulars" at the expo. "My booth has expanded from one last year to three this year," said Mahmoud, a Pakistani businessman.

Not only have exhibitors returned year after year, but many citizens have also become familiar faces. "I bought a Turkish handmade lamp last year, and now that I've moved into a new house, I need to buy a few more," said Dekyi Drolma. "I didn't expect the stall owner to remember me and specifically recommend new styles."

The expofeatured a dazzling array of products. According to relevant reports, itattracted over 250 enterprises and around 600 merchants, covering an area of 8,000 square meters. With over 1,500 product categories, including daily goods, food and beverages, handicrafts, home furnishings, and jewelry, the scale and variety significantly surpassed that of the first edition. As of the 17th, the sales volume of The Second Lhasa Import Exporeached 55 million yuan(RMB), with multiple popular categories achieving rapid sales on the opening day.

"I prepared more Nepalese handicrafts this year. Last year, I brought 200 handmade jewelry boxes, and they were all sold out," said Data, an exhibitor from Nepal. He introduced that all his exhibits were transported from Nepal to Xizang via the Gyirong Port.

In recent years, relying on the convenience of border ports and the improvement of infrastructure, Xizang's role as an important channel opening up to South Asia has become increasingly significant. According to statistics, in 2024, Xizang's import and export volume with Nepal reached 5.12 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 84.8%, accounting for 32.7% of the total trade value between China and Nepal.

Consumers' interest and enthusiasm have also attracted more and more enterprises to open upshopsin Xizang. Mandy, the head of Younis Handicrafts, a company specializing in textiles such as scarves and carpets, as well as incense, said, "We didn't expect our products to be so popular. We plan to open a shop in Xizang as soon as possible."

The expoalso set up special zones for "Lhasa Goods" and "Lhasa Import and Export Enterprises," showcasing characteristic products such as Tibetan incense, yak wool products, and barley products, as well as import and export commodities, to help "Lhasa Goods" go global. According to Lhasa Customs data, from January to April, Xizang achieved a total foreign trade import and export value of 3.001 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.7%.

Exhibitors have transitioned from testing to setting. Behind this change lies the continuous injection of open momentum into Xizang through platform and channel construction. The Lhasa Integrated Free Trade Zone, the China (Lhasa) Cross-border E-commerce Comprehensive Pilot Zone, and the Lhasa South Asia E-commerce Industrial Park have successively been established, providing strong support for the transition of commodities from exposto regular circulation.

The Xizang Autonomous Region's Department of Commerce stated that Xizang is continuously accelerating its pace of opening up to the outside world, promoting the export of characteristic products, expanding the import of high-quality consumer goods, and assisting in the development of open economy. The market's vitality and potential are continuously emerging.

Reporter:  Jiang Mengchen, Pan Yijing

Translator: Peng Qing, Liu Fang

Review: Hu Rongguo, Dong Xiuli