That competition is keen in the automotive sector in China is without doubt, but it’s not just automakers who engage in the usual game of wits in a bid to establish dominance in the market, because even motor shows can prove to be a battleground, in this case over who has the rights to run it.
The show is Auto China, the largest motor expo in the land, and Beijing and Shanghai take turns hosting the event each year. Beijing hosted the show last year, and so 2025 is Shanghai’s turn, with the edition set to run later this month from April 23 to May 2.
No issues with the venue or the rotation, but as Reuters reports, the government-backed organisers behind the event, namely the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and the Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shanghai (CCPIT Shanghai), have clashed over who should be running this year’s edition.
Having organised the show jointly in previous years, the dispute between both councils came out into the open after both issued separate notices last month saying they had opened media registrations. A WeChat account run by CCPIT for the show then published a statement saying it was the official information channel, prompting confusion amongst automakers over who they should speak to about booth displays or make payment to.
News agency Caixin reported earlier this week that the two councils had sued each other in a Shanghai court, with CCPIT claiming that it held the right to produce the show based on a contract signed in 2002. However, the Shanghai court ruled that this was no longer the case as the contract expired in August 2024. Subsequently, the CCPIT appealed the verdict but the court’s decision was upheld, the report added.
Reuters said it was unable to view the verdicts as they were not made public, but was told by two sources that CCPIT Shanghai informed them of the verdict on Tuesday. Both CCPIT Shanghai and CCPIT declined to comment on the matter, with the latter referring the news agency to China’s industry ministry for further questions. According to Reuters, the ministry did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment.
The CCPIT serves as an international trade and economic cooperation body backed by the country’s commerce ministry. CCPIT Shanghai was originally founded as a branch of CCPIT but is currently backed by the Shanghai government.
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