Chinese exhibitors are steadily expanding their footprint across Indonesia’s tradeshow floors as part of a long-term market recalibration and a growing confidence in Indonesian buyers.
Mohammad Ichwan Sofwan, general manager at Songolas Exhibition Services, told TTGmice he has seen a 10 to 15 per cent year-on-year rise in Chinese participation, with some shows registering growth of up to 50 per cent.
“Many firms that once focused on Europe are now shifting their interest to South-east Asia, with Indonesia at the forefront,” he said.
He believes geopolitical tensions, including the revived US tariff policies under Donald Trump, may be compounding the momentum. “It’s a continuation of their expansion, but now with added urgency,” Ichwan said.
The rise in Chinese exhibitors, particularly in high-growth sectors like consumer goods, electric vehicles, agriculture, and logistics, has been observed across several tradeshows.
Irvan Muhidin Sukamto, CEO of Gemalindo Kreasi Indonesia, shared that his company has been receiving enquiries from Chinese companies that have never exhibited here before in these sectors.
“They are serious about Southeast Asia, and Indonesia is clearly their anchor market,” said Irvan.
The reception on the show floor is also changing, and Sofianto Widjaja, director of Wahana Kemalaniaga Makmur (Wakeni), opined there is a growing confidence among local buyers towards Chinese suppliers.
“The quality (of products) has improved significantly over the years, while prices remain more competitive than European products. Their booths don’t just stand out in number but in actual transactions,” he said.
According to Hosea Andreas Rungkat, chairman of the Indonesian Exhibition Companies Association, the shift reflects long-term strategic intent.
“These are not one-off participations. Chinese exhibitors are targeting sectors where Indonesia is investing heavily,” said Hosea.
With new infrastructure like the Nusantara International Convention Exhibition set to open this October, tradeshow organisers expect this momentum to continue.
“Venue limitations are no longer the bottleneck. The challenge now is curating quality and ensuring local companies benefit in the long run,” Hosea noted.
