ITMA Asia + CITME partners shake hands. (L to R) Mr Zhang Yankai, executive vice chairman of CCPIT-Tex; Mr Edward Roberts, president of CEMATEX; Mr Gao Yong, president of CTMA, and Mr Dong Songgen, president of China International Exhibition Center Group Corp.
  

The organisers of ITMA Asia and CITME are joining forces to put on a combined international textile machinery show every two years in Shanghai, PRC, starting in 2008.

CEMATEX (the European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers), CTMA (China Textile Machinery Association), CCPIT-Tex (the Sub Council of Textile Industry, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade) and CIEC (China Exhibition Centre Group Corporation) have signed a long term co-operation.

Mr Edward Roberts, president of CEMATEX, said, "China's textile industry has enjoyed a period of rapid growth and now has one third of the entire world textile production capacity. The country has become one of the largest buyers of textile machinery, which is one of the key reasons why CEMATEX has made the important decision to move ITMA ASIA from Singapore to China.

We have decided to work on this event with CTMA because they share our own objective of offering our exhibitors and their customers high quality cost effective exhibitions, and we are delighted that they will be our partner in these combined events".

CEMATEX launched its ITMA ASIA show in 2001, followed by a second show in partnership with JTMA (Japan Textile Machinery Association) in 2005, both of these being held in Singapore. The CITME show (owned by CTMA) was launched in 1988 and has to date been held every two years in Beijing, PRC.

The first combined exhibition, 'ITMA ASIA + CITME 2008' will be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre in Shanghai, PRC from July 27 to 31, 2008.

Mr Gao Yong, president of CTMA announced : "I am very pleased that we shall hold this first combined show in Shanghai, and we and our partners are delighted to welcome ITMA ASIA to China. We strongly believe that our initiative will benefit the whole of the textile industry as well as the healthy development of the textile machinery industry".