'98 International Chemical Industry Fair:
           Seek not for the Biggest but for the Best
  - Interview with Sun Dongliang, Standing Deputy Director
    of China Council for the Promotion of International
    Trade Sub-council of Chemical Industry
                         Chen Shibin
The  bi- yearly  international   chemical   industry   fair
sponsored by the former Ministry of Chemical Industry  and
China Council for the Promotion of International Trade has
been successfully held four times since  1990.   The  fair
this year will be held in Beijing in Sept. 22 - 26.   This
year China is not  only  faced  with  the  impact  of  the
financial crisis in Southeast Asia, it has also stood  the
test of extremely big floods. A gathering of domestic  and
foreign chemical circles in Beijing at  this  moment  will
have unique significance. The reporter ( R)   of  CCR  has
therefore made an  interview  with  Sun  Dongliang  ( S) ,
  Standing  Deputy  Director  of  China  Council  for   the
Promotion of International Trade Sub-council  of  Chemical
Industry.
R: This session of the International Chemical Industry Fair
will soon be held in Beijing. How is it different from the
previous sessions?
S: Due to the factors such as the financial crisis in Asia,
  the  industrial  regrouping  of  multinationals  and  the
AchemAsia (held in May this year in Beijing),  the  number
of overseas enterprises participating in '98 International
Chemical Industry Fair is reduced (The number of countries
and regions is 2 - 3 less than the previous  two  sessions
and the number  of  participating  enterprises  is  nearly
reduced by half).  Due  to  the  impact  of  the  economic
situation in chemical sectors in the first  half  of  this
year, the number of domestic enterprises participating  in
the fair is also reduced ( a  drop  of  around  15%,   and
chemical industry departments or bureaus  of  8  provinces
and municipalities unable to send groups  to  the  fair) .
However, on the whole, the fair has still won  the  active
support and involvement  of  many  domestic  and  overseas
chemical enterprises and other related sectors. More  than
80 overseas chemical enterprises  from  18  countries  and
regions have signed up and will occupy a floor space of  2
000 m2. 45 domestic groups and over 1 000  enterprises  of
  the  chemical  sector  and  other  related  sectors  from
chemical departments or bureaus of various  provinces  and
municipalities  and  large  enterprise  groups  have  also
signed up and will occupy a floor space of 12 000 m2.   It
should  be  noted  that  after  the  cancellation  of  the
Ministry of Chemical Industry the sponsor of the  fair  is
  the  State  Administration  of  Petroleum  and   Chemical
Industries. The fair becomes the first  big  international
event after the founding of the  State  Administration  of
Petroleum and Chemical Industries. Newly-established China
  Oil  &  Natural   Gas   Group   Corporation   and   China
Petrochemical Group Corporation  have  also  offered  firm
support. They have not only assisted in holding  the  fair
but also will send groups to the fair.  '98  International
Chemical Industry Fair can therefore make a better display
of the overall  image  of  petroleum,   petrochemical  and
chemical industries in China.
R: Some people say that the fair will be the last  official
organizational form. What do you think about it?
S: It is known to all that China is making headway  in  the
socialist market economy. In such a  context,   exhibition
  activities   will   be   switched   from   the   official
organizational form in the past to an organizational  form
fully in line with the market economic rules.  We  believe
that exhibition activities in conformity with  the  market
economic rules will be more flourishing in future. We will
make an active exploration to the exhibition forms in line
with the market economic  rules,   hold  more  and  better
sessions of the International Chemical Industry  Fair  and
offer services and  make  contributions  to  the  chemical
sector in China in its effort to fully enter the  domestic
and international markets.
R: Since its founding China Council for  the  Promotion  of
International Trade Sub-council of Chemical  Industry  has
done a great deal of fruitful work in technical and  trade
exchange and  cooperation  between  domestic  and  foreign
chemical sectors. What is your future plan in this respect?
S: Under the leadership  of  the  Party  Committee  of  the
former Ministry of Chemical Industry,  China  Council  for
the  Promotion  of  International  Trade  Sub- council  of
Chemical Industry has, since its founding on July 11, 1990
, taken as its aim to provide  services  for  the  chemical
sector to promote opening up, and we have done what we can
in this field. Regarding our future work,   I  think  that
there are now two extremely good opportunities before  us.
One is that with the further structural reform  in  China,
the government is more separated from enterprises.