Simon Lichtenberg, founder & CEO of Trayton Group, speaks to the press in the booth of a Danish business at the China International Import Expo on Nov 5, 2024. [Photo provided to english.shanghai.gov.cn]

Shanghai-based Danish entrepreneur Simon Lichtenberg is a firm advocate for the China International Import Expo (CIIE), recognizing its power to connect businesses from his home country with the vast Chinese market.

Lichtenberg is the founder & CEO of Trayton Group. As a fluent Mandarin speaker who has been living in China for over three decades, he said he is proud to witness a nearly trifold increase in the number of Danish companies participating in the CIIE from the inaugural edition to the currently ongoing 7th edition.

"I am very proud that many Danish companies participate in the CIIE every year," Lichtenberg said, while enthusiastically guiding media visitors to various Danish booths.

Lichtenberg acknowledged that initially, many, including himself, were unfamiliar with the concept of an "import" expo as people normally associate trade fairs with exporting. After witnessing droves of Chinese buyers eager to procure international goods at the first CIIE in 2018, he started to understand the significance of the event.

"The CIIE provides a platform for smaller companies, particularly in the food sector, to overcome barriers to entry and access the enormous Chinese market," he explained, using Danish food companies as a prime example.

"I hope that the US and Europe will also host similar 'import expos'," Lichtenberg said.

Lichtenberg's connection to the country extends beyond business. He first arrived in 1987, choosing to study at Fudan University due to his fascination with the Chinese language, deeming it "the most challenging and widely spoken."

He leveraged his unique position as one of only seven Danes in Shanghai at the time to establish Trayton Group, initially importing Danish furniture. Observing a demand for sofas within the Chinese market, Lichtenberg expanded into local production, growing Trayton into a sofa brand with annual sales exceeding 1 billion yuan ($139.36 million).

Lichtenberg's deep ties to China are also evident in his personal life as well. He identifies as a "new Shanghainese," having married a local.