Why should China participate in the Panama Universal Exposition
At the beginning of the twentieth century, after a century and a half of hard work, the United States has achieved considerable economic and social development and has become one of the world's powers. The United States at this time is eager to improve its international status and image through political, diplomatic, economic, and cultural aspects. The World Expo is the best way to show its international status and image. It is to show the world the stage of the United States in an all-round way. It plays an obvious role in enhancing the international prestige and international status of the United States. And choosing to hold such an international event at the special timetable of world wars also has the intention of highlighting the United States’ yearning for peace.
Robert, the vice president of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, is a large businessman who has been engaged in trade with China for a long time and has established a close relationship with China. He played a pivotal role in making the government of the Republic of China determined to participate in the World Expo. In order to facilitate Chinese participation, Robert came to China specially, visited Sun Yat-sen, Li Yuanhong and others, and invited China to participate. He also contacted business people in Shanghai, Wuhan, Guangzhou and other places, urging Chinese officials and non-governmental organizations to participate in the United States, and received a warm response from the Chinese business community.
In order to strengthen the preparatory work, the Republic of China government specially established the Bureau of Preparatory Panama Games, and carefully selected the team leader, requiring that the team leader must be proficient in foreign languages, have experience in the game and deal with foreign businessmen, and have a certain degree of communication skills. Finally, Chen Qi, a native of Qingtian, Zhejiang, was appointed as the director of the preparatory bureau.
After Chen Qi took office, the goal of China’s participation in the Expo was to restore the reputation of domestically produced products, expand exports, determine business policies, investigate the advantages of other countries’ products, study the competition between domestic and foreign products, and "contact the United States for a better understanding of the world." Commercial rights".
At that time, although traditional Chinese products such as silk, tea, and porcelain were well-known internationally, they were severely impacted by foreign goods and lost their leading position in the market. Therefore, an important purpose of China's participation in this conference is to learn from the experience of foreign businesses, pay attention to the improvement of the industry, and restore the lost market. The bureau also sent people to investigate the demand for tea and silk in the international market, purchase samples, and improve production to ensure the quality of the samples. (Reproduced)