New Cooperation Deal To Bridge China-Pakistan Building Supply Gaps
UrduPoint (8th Sep, 2026) The 58th China International Furniture Fair (CIFF Shanghai) and the 2026 China International Building & Construction Trade Fair (CBD-IBCTF) are being held concurrently from September 5 to 8 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai. These events bring together over 1,400 domestic and international brands across an exhibition area exceeding 220,000 square meters.
At the heart of this year’s events was the Overseas Expansion & Empowerment Summit for Interior Building Materials & Furniture, where a landmark agreement was signed between the China Building Materials Circulation Association and MERA PC Solutions. The partnership aims to:
- Combine their strengths through co-developing industrial projects.
- Send on-the-ground delegations to Pakistan.
- Facilitate precise supply-demand linkages.
- Establish a regular cooperation mechanism for efficient market entry.
Cindy Chen, co-founder of MERA PC, delivered a keynote presentation highlighting Pakistan’s immense market potential. Noting the underdeveloped local building materials supply chain with gaps in categories like doors, windows, kitchen hardware, lighting fixtures and ceramic sanitary ware, she emphasized:
- Pakistan’s market size is estimated at approximately US$25 billion, growing at 8.5% annually.
- Urbanization and CPEC Phase II are driving demand for building materials.
- Chinese brands can effectively fill these gaps due to their quality and expanding global reach.
Global trends also support this partnership:
- The worldwide home retail market is US$800 billion, growing at 12% per year.
- China’s furniture exports reached CNY 455.9 billion in 2025, and cross-border e-commerce exports reached CNY 473.6 billion.
The summit attracted participants from Pakistan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Russia, Central Asia, and the six Gulf countries, fostering momentum for industry advancement. Two scheduled business delegations to the Middle East and Pakistan are planned for later this year.
APP/asg
