China Fisheries & Seafood Expo 2023 Recap: TBESFOOD in Qingdao

From 25 to 27 October 2023, the TBESFOOD team exhibited at the 26th China Fisheries & Seafood Expo at the Hongdao International Convention and Exhibition Center in Qingdao. We took booth B9-0324 with frozen vannamei shrimp and pangasius from Vietnam, and spent three days meeting buyers from China, Europe and elsewhere in Asia.

It was our first time exhibiting in Qingdao. We came back in 2024, and again in 2025.

The show back at full size

The 2023 edition was the expo's first fully in-person show since the pandemic. China Daily reported an exhibition area of 110,000 square metres and more than 1,650 exhibitors from 51 countries and regions, with Aquaculture China running alongside in the same halls. The expo has been held in Qingdao since 1996 and is one of the largest seafood trade shows in Asia.

For an exporter, that means three days in the same halls as China's importers, distributors and processors, in their home market.

What we showed at B9-0324

The display freezer and stand panels covered three products: frozen raw vannamei shrimp, frozen cooked vannamei shrimp and pangasius (Pangasius hypophthalmus). The panels were printed in English and Chinese and carried our China export registration number, along with our BRCGS, HACCP, Halal and Sedex credentials.

Three days of buyer meetings

Many conversations started at the freezer, where visitors could see the cooked shrimp and pangasius up close, and carried on at the table over brochures and specifications. We met Chinese importers and processors as well as buyers from Europe and other Asian markets.

What we took home

Qingdao gave us face-to-face time with Chinese buyers in their own market, which email and samples cannot replace. It also set the pattern for our China program: we returned to Qingdao in 2024 and 2025.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by B9-0324. If you source Vietnamese shrimp or pangasius for China, our export team is at export@tbesfood.com.

Show at a glance

• Show: 26th China Fisheries & Seafood Expo (CFSE), held with Aquaculture China
• Dates: 25-27 October 2023
• Venue: Hongdao International Convention and Exhibition Center, Qingdao, China
• TBESFOOD booth: B9-0324
• Products shown: frozen raw vannamei shrimp, frozen cooked vannamei shrimp, pangasius
• Organiser: Sea Fare Expositions, China Fisheries & Seafood Expo