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Cyprus Showcases Food And Drink Exports At SIAL Guangzhou As It Deepens China Trade Ties

Cyprus Targets A Larger Footprint In China

Cyprus has used one of Asia’s leading food and beverage trade fairs to advance a clear commercial objective: deepen ties with China and widen the international reach of its producers.

The Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry said Cyprus participated in SIAL Guangzhou 2026 in cooperation with the Cyprus Trade Centre in Beijing, using the event to present Cypriot businesses and products to a global audience.

Major Trade Fair Draws Global Industry Attention

The exhibition, held on September 3, 4 and 5 at the Poly World Trade Centre Expo in Guangzhou, brought together more than 1,500 exhibitors from 50 countries. It also attracted more than 66,000 professional visitors from over 50 countries and regions, underscoring its importance as a gateway to international buyers, distributors and commercial partners.

Cypriot Products Take Centre Stage

At the Cyprus pavilion, visitors received information on partnership opportunities with Cyprus while viewing a curated selection of the country’s food and drink products. The display included Cypriot wine, Commandaria, zivania and fruit juices, offering a snapshot of the island’s export potential and its premium food and beverage identity.

Cypriot juices also received special recognition, featuring among products selected for highlighted presentations during organiser-led events at the exhibition.

Diplomatic And Commercial Outreach Go Hand In Hand

Among those who visited the Cypriot pavilion was Thailand’s deputy minister for education, science, research and innovation, reflecting the event’s broader international reach and the value of such platforms for business diplomacy.

For Cyprus, the participation was not simply an exercise in visibility. It formed part of a wider strategy to strengthen commercial relations with China, expand the overseas presence of Cypriot companies and reinforce the reputation of Cypriot products in competitive foreign markets.

A Platform For Market Expansion

In practical terms, events such as SIAL Guangzhou can open doors to distributors, importers and retail partners in a market that remains strategically important for exporters seeking scale. For smaller economies like Cyprus, such exhibitions are often a high-leverage way to build brand recognition and create commercial opportunities that can be difficult to secure through traditional channels alone.

By participating in a major international trade fair, Cyprus positioned its food and drink sector in front of an audience with the reach to translate product interest into long-term market access.

Meta’s Muse Is Outpacing ChatGPT In Early Mobile Adoption, New Data Suggests

Meta’s new AI app, Muse, may be emerging as one of the company’s strongest consumer launches to date. Fresh estimates from market intelligence firm Apptopia suggest the app has outperformed ChatGPT in early mobile traction, at least in the U.S. and Canada.

According to Apptopia, Muse recorded more downloads in its first 12 days on the market than ChatGPT did during the comparable period after its mobile debut. The comparison, limited to the U.S. and Canada, puts Muse’s iOS downloads at 1.8 million versus 1.3 million for ChatGPT over the same initial window.

A Strong Early Start Across Platforms

In total, Muse has reached 2.8 million global installs in its first 12 days, according to the firm. The app’s momentum also appears to be holding. After debuting at No. 2 on the U.S. App Store, Muse has since climbed to No. 1, surpassing ChatGPT, according to reporting from Business Insider. Appfigures had previously estimated that Muse crossed 1 million downloads shortly after launch.

That early rise matters because app-store performance in the first days after launch often signals whether a product can sustain consumer attention beyond initial curiosity. In Meta’s case, the data suggests Muse is not simply benefiting from novelty; it is gaining ground quickly enough to challenge the category leader.

Daily Users Show Similar Momentum

Apptopia’s estimates point to another favorable comparison for Meta: daily usage. In the U.S. alone, Muse is said to have 642,000 daily active users, well above the 231,000 ChatGPT had at the same stage of its mobile rollout.

To make the comparison fairer, Apptopia also narrowed the analysis to iOS only, since ChatGPT launched on iPhone before expanding more broadly. Even under that tighter lens, Muse still comes out ahead, with 359,000 daily active users on iOS compared with ChatGPT’s earlier figure.

Why Meta Has An Advantage

Third-party estimates are not the same as internal company data, and Apptopia cannot see Meta’s proprietary numbers. Still, even directional data suggests Muse may be on track to become a meaningful consumer product for Meta.

That possibility is strengthened by Meta’s distribution advantage. The company has already demonstrated how powerful its ecosystem can be with Threads, which surpassed 500 million users after heavy promotion across Instagram and Facebook. Muse is likely to receive a similar boost, especially because it can connect across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Apptopia does not track Meta’s internal promotion strategy, but its data indicates that more than 95% of Muse users are also Facebook users, while 63% are Instagram users. That overlap underscores how effectively Meta can move users across its products when it chooses to prioritize a launch.

The Strategic Test For Meta

For Meta, the early signal from Muse is less about one app’s download count than about whether the company can turn its scale into durable AI adoption. The first test is attention. The harder one is retention.

If Muse can convert early downloads into habitual use, Meta may have found a new front door into its AI ambitions. If not, the app risks becoming another example of how easily mobile hype can spike before settling back down.

Meta, which was asked for comment, has not yet released public figures on Muse’s early adoption.

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