Syrian businesspersons have seen the ongoing China International Import Expo (CIIE) as an opportunity to showcase their goods and establish a foothold in the vast Chinese market.

Roula Ali-Adeeb has for years been producing natural oil extracts for beauty and health purposes, and when the CIIE was first launched in 2018, she found a golden opportunity to have her products showcased on shelves in China.

Speaking to Xinhua in Damascus, Ali-Adeeb, the owner of BioCham company, said that she continued to take part in the annual expo after her products were sold well.

She said that business is making small steps in the huge Chinese market and is working hard to develop her products and produce more variations of the essential oils to meet a variety of demands.

"Our participation back then was so surprising for us as the Chinese people really welcomed our products," she said.

This year, Ali-Adeeb said she is participating in the CIIE through her agent in China, while expressing hopes that the expo could propel her products into more regions in China.

"I hope that our participation this year through our agent in China would be a bigger step as we have been taking small steps over the past few years to open up to more areas," she said.

Yassin Diab, a regional sales manager for the Serjella brand of olive oil products, said that he would love to see his brand showcased more in China.

Also taking part in the expo through agents this year, Diab hopes his Chinese partners could help expand the reach of his goods.

"For our situation in China, we would love to have our brand name present in the Chinese market" and "have a footprint" in the country, he said.

He acknowledged, however, that Syrian products remain at the beginning of their journey into the vast market.

Still, Diab remains hopeful. "We are looking forward to having China as our main export destination."