Xiamen Stone Event Set for Mid-Summer

XIAMEN, China – The China Xiamen International Stone Fair will finally open its doors here in mid-summer.

The July 30-Aug. 2 event at the Xiamen International Conference and Exhibition Center comes as China loosens its strict COVID-19 travel requirements, although entry is unlikely for North American travelers.

The event – with a theme of “Bloom in Summer” – will include five concurrent events: Global Master Architects Forum, Xiamen Habitat Design & Life Festival, Stone Infinite Product Design Show, Launch Out @XSF and World Stone Congress.

As of June 13, the Xiamen event site also lists 796 on-site exhibitors for its expo area of 20 halls. Of those, 30 are from outside China, mainly from Asian countries.

An additional 300 foreign companies are participating in the year-round online Cloud Xiamen Stone Fair, including several from the United States and Canada.

The June 7 announcement of the in-person show follows some changes in China’s foreign-visitor regulations in the country’s battle against COVID-19. Foreign nationals are allowed into China, but with tight restrictions:

Holders of visas issued before January 2020 (such as long-term business visas) are still prohibited entry with that document. Anyone with a work-invitation letter from a company can apply for a new visa. (The Xiamen event is not issuing visa-invitation letters currently, however.)

Holders of a new visa still need to two separate PCR tests, from two different U.S. labs approved by China’s diplomatic services, in the two days before departure, and also pass a COVID test upon arrival in China to avoid quarantine. Travelers also need to fly directly to China from their origins of travel, and no airline currently offers such flights from the United States or Canada. (Hong Kong has separate immigration policies and isn’t considered a Chinese point-of-entry.)