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LAS VEGAS, United States, Oct. 18-- As over 17,000 attendees gathered here on Friday at an annual global exhibition on health ingredients, they were faced with the burning question of how the U.S.-initiated trade frictions with China is affecting their business. Speaking at the SupplySide West 2019 Trade Show, participants acknowledged that the industry relies heavily on its ability to source ingredients at competitive prices across the world, with China being one of the most important suppliers and the United States the largest market. More than 350 Chinese companies joined this year's fair, and China's pharmaceutical ingredient industry is witnessing expansion, according to Chris Cai, deputy secretary general of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Medicines & Health Products. Danica Cullins, brand director and vice president of sales for events company Informa's SupplySide portfolio, said that the Chinese suppliers "represent the largest number of exhibitors at the show outside of the U.S. group." "They (the Chinese suppliers) bring a great deal of business and value to the show," Cullins added. While the future of the trade war remains uncertain, U.S. buyers and consumers are grappling with tariffs. Pacific Rainbow (PR), a U.S.-based nutritional supplement company which imports raw materials and ingredients from China and Southeast Asia and sells to U.S. manufacturers, was definitely affected. | 
