Photo taken on Nov. 27, 2017 shows the first electric bus in Cuba of the Yutong Company, in Havana, Cuba. A singular green bus manufactured by a Chinese company has been circulating the streets of Havana for several days, marking a milestone in Cuba's history of public transportation. (Xinhua)

by Raimundo Urrechaga

HAVANA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- After playing a pioneering role in Cuba, Chinese companies are showcasing their advanced technologies at the 17th International Convention and Fair in Havana.

Informatica 2018, scheduled from Monday to Friday, has attracted dozens of foreign companies to invest in the Cuban market.

GRG Banking of China, a participant in the fair, is not only a leading ATM supplier in China but a market leader in Cuba as well. Of the 936 ATMs on the island, it has supplied around 60 percent of the machines.

Vickey Li, GRG's sales manager for the Americas, told Xinhua that they have sold their machines to the Central Bank of Cuba.

"In the future we intend to offer Cuba a debit and credit card dispensing machine to make the work of banks and the lives of citizens more efficient," she said.

Chinese home appliance company Haier, which participated in previous editions as well, showed its new products, such as digital TV and high definition decoder.

"We have also collaborated for the sale of tablets, desktop computers, education and office systems," Zhang Hanqi, vice general manager of Haier New Energy Company, told Xinhua.

The company, a pioneer in this Caribbean nation, supplied 3 million electrical appliances to Cubans between 2003 and 2006 as part of a social program known as the Energy Revolution.

Haier has been in Cuba for more than 10 years. In 2012, Cuba agreed to adopt the Chinese digital television standard. Today, it covers 70 percent of Cuban territory, reaching more than 7 million people.

A stand of China takes part in the 2nd edition of the International Convention and Exhibition Industry of Cuba, in Havana, capital of Cuba, on June 21, 2016. (Xinhua/Joaquin Hernandez)

"This makes Cuba the country with the fastest growth in the development of digital television in the region," Zhang said. "We want to emulate here the model developed in other Latin American nations."

Haier has participated in numerous technological development projects with Cuban entities, earning the respect of the island's authorities.

In line with China's good political and economic relations with Cuba, Zhang said Haier will continue to boost cooperation with Cuba in new technologies.

"We hope Cuba's economy gets better, pushing forward bilateral trade, political and cultural exchanges, and through our high-tech products or cooperation in outputting standards," he said.

Other Chinese companies such as Huawei and Wuhan FiberHome International Technologies are also attending the fair, which has brought together some 1,700 participants from 32 countries.