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China Fisheries & Seafood Expo Participation Applications Open… New Support for Entry into China’s Seafood Market

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon), together with the Busan Economic Promotion Agency (President Song Bok-cheol), announced that it is recruiting eight local SMEs to participate in the China Fisheries & Seafood Expo through June 29 and will support efforts to expand market access in China and strengthen export competitiveness.

The China Fisheries & Seafood Expo is Asia’s largest fisheries trade exhibition, held in Qingdao, one of China’s leading marine and fisheries cities. The expo covers the entire fisheries industry, including raw seafood products, processed seafood products, aquaculture, processing machinery, and cold-chain logistics.

Last year, companies from 47 countries and regions participated, and more than 45,000 professional buyers from 139 countries and regions visited the exhibition, reinforcing its reputation as a global fisheries business platform.

Busan Metropolitan City plans to establish a 72-square-meter Busan Pavilion at the exhibition venue and support the participation of eight local SMEs.

Eligible applicants are local SMEs with export sales of no more than USD 30 million in the previous year. Selected companies will receive support covering approximately 94 percent of participation costs, including booth rental and installation expenses, as well as 50 percent of round-trip airfare costs.

This initiative was prepared in response to improved conditions for exports of Korean wild-caught seafood to China following the conclusion of Korea–China negotiations on sanitary and quarantine requirements for fisheries products in January.

In particular, as export opportunities to China expand for wild-caught seafood, including chilled pomfret, the city expects local seafood producers to broaden their market channels and increase exports to the Chinese market, where demand for fresh seafood remains high.

In addition, Busan Metropolitan City and Qingdao have maintained active exchanges since establishing an economic cooperation relationship in 2012. Participation in this expo is expected to provide an opportunity to expand cooperation between the two cities into the fisheries sector.

China is recognized as the world’s largest producer of seafood and one of the major consumer and import markets for fisheries products.

Exports of local seafood products to China increased from USD 20.2 million in 2024 to USD 30.5 million in 2025. As of April this year, exports reached USD 11 million, representing a 72.2 percent increase compared with the same period last year and continuing a strong growth trend.

Companies wishing to participate may submit an application form and evaluation-related documents through the city’s export platform (https://trade.bepa.kr) by June 29.

Kim Bong-cheol, Assistant Mayor of Digital Economy Office, said, “Busan is Korea’s leading seafood industry city, with highly concentrated capabilities in seafood processing, storage, distribution, and trade. Through support for participation in the China Fisheries & Seafood Expo, we will expand opportunities for local seafood companies to meet Chinese buyers directly and establish a stronger foundation for high-value-added seafood products to enter the Chinese market.”