The upcoming China International Import Expo (CIIE) is a "privileged window" to China's booming domestic consumer market, which "is a highly complementary market" for Argentine exports, Argentine Minister of Productive Development Matias Kulfas said on Tuesday.

This year's third edition of the expo will take place on Nov. 5-10 in Shanghai with the participation of some 40 Argentine companies.

"We are accompanying these companies so that their participation in the event becomes a privileged tool for deepening these complementarities, for the benefit of producers and consumers in both countries," Kulfas added.

Argentina "has been a very active participant in the CIIE," taking part in both previous editions through the presence of companies "that were ranked among the top" in Latin America, he said.

This year's spotlight will be on wineries from different regions of Argentina, including the wine-making province of Mendoza, so a special "online matchmaking" event will be held at the expo for the first time on Friday to bring producers and importers together.

The Ministry of Productive Development, in conjunction with Bank of China and the Chinese Embassy in Argentina, "organized this first edition with the aim of promoting wine exports to China," said Kulfas.

"We believe the wine sector has enormous growth potential in the Chinese market, with quality standards tailored to the growing demands of Chinese consumers and growing trade," he added.

While Argentina's exports to China have grown in the last 10 years, "they have not done so" evenly across the South American country, so this year the ministry has tried to diversify products and regions, said Kulfas.

"We believe that all of Argentina's agro-industrial value chain, especially the food sector, has enormous potential to grow in the Chinese market and this will be reflected in the delegation that will be part of the CIIE," he said.

Argentina can satisfy demands of the Chinese market "both in volume and sophistication," said the official.

The Argentine firms participating in-person and virtually at the CIIE are mainly meatpacking industry leaders and trade representatives from wineries. Enditem