Chinaplas, scheduled for April 25 to 28, has been postponed in view of the latest COVID development and the further tightening of the pandemic control measures in Shanghai and other provinces of China, said show organiser Adsale.
China’s stringent zero-Covid-19 policy has kept the country’s caseload down and the widespread surges seen elsewhere successfully at bay.
Now, however, with the advent of the highly transmissible omicron variant, time seems to have run out on that policy. According to the latest reports, the country is recording more than 1,500 cases per day across multiple cities.
The authorities have moved rapidly in attempts to suppress the outbreak, implementing lockdowns and shuttering factories. Schools in Shanghai have been closed and warehouses and plants in tech hub Shenzhen were ordered to shut down last week. The city of Jilin, in the northeast, was partially locked down Saturday, while residents of Yanji, an urban area of nearly 700,000 bordering North Korea, were confined to their homes Sunday.
In light of these developments, the announcement of the cancellation of Chinaplas did not come as a complete surprise.
The organisers confirmed that the ‘dissemination of exhibiting companies and products news, as well as market information, via our different online channels will continue. "CPS+ Marketplace" is ready and positioned to connect suppliers and buyers from China and overseas. Both parties can make use of our online resources to explore business and cooperation opportunities’.
New dates and other details for Chinaplas will be announced shortly.