Eighth CIIE set to kick off, with record exhibition areas, exhibitors
Shanghai will welcome the 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE) from November 5 to 10, the first major economic and diplomatic event following the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
As a window into China's high-level opening-up, the event this year has further expanded, with both the exhibition area and total number of participating companies reaching record highs, demonstrating the strong growth in the Chinese huge market for foreign companies, a Chinese expert said.
Leaders from countries, including Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Serbian Prime Minister Djuro Macut, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria Abbas Tajudeen and President of the National Council of Slovenia Marko Lotrič, are scheduled to attend the opening ceremony and related events upon invitation, China's Foreign Ministry announced on Monday.
High-tech displayed
On Tuesday afternoon, Global Times reporters visited the exhibition halls and observed that all booth construction at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) has been completed. A more open, innovative, and dynamic CIIE is poised to make its debut.
During the visit, Global Times reporters saw a humanoid robot of Unitree Robotics performing kung fu moves at the No.4 hall of the center, which caught the attention of many visitors. Hans Kobschaetzky, a senior executive from Neura Robotics GmbH, was one of them.
"The kung fu is very fancy," Hans Kobschaetzky told the Global Times. When asked about his thoughts on this year's CIIE, he said, ''The fair is very important for the industry, and we see very different companies with wide scope. I hope I can get promising contracts."
The CIIE has become not only a global launchpad for new products but also a premier stage for cutting-edge technological debuts.
In a release sent to the Global Times, Tesla said it will showcase its Tesla Cybercab, an autonomous electric vehicle, marking the model's first appearance in the Asia-Pacific region. On Tuesday afternoon the vehicle remained covered, waiting for the debut on Wednesday.
This year's CIIE will feature 461 new products, technologies, and services, positioning China's vast market as a global testing ground, profit center, and application field for innovation, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM).
With the continuous expansion of the CIIE in terms of exhibition area and the number of exhibitors, it has become a window into China's new development pattern, a platform for boosting high-standard opening-up and international public goods shared across the globe, Li Chang'an, a professor at the Academy of China Open Economy Studies at the University of International Business and Economics, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
Leveraging the CIIE, China's ultra-large market is creating new opportunities for foreign enterprises, while injecting fresh confidence and momentum to the global development, Li Chang'an said.
Sharing opportunities
The total area for the business exhibition now exceeds 367,000 square meters. The number of exhibitors increased some 600 on the basis of 3,496 last year, featuring 290 Global Fortune 500 companies and industry-leading enterprises. Both the exhibition area and the number of exhibitors hit new record highs this year. A total of 43 trade delegations and over 700 sub-delegations are attending the CIIE for procurement this year, with the number of professional visitors reaching 449,500.
The CIIE, as the world's first national-level exhibition themed on import, has been successfully held for seven consecutive sessions. Many companies have transitioned from first-time participants to repeat attendees.
At the exhibition hall, Li Jingming, Executive Officer of Canadian tech firm Air Nutri Solution Inc in China, and his team are busy arranging the booth.
He told the Global Times on Tuesday that the company will globally debut two innovative products - Nutrisleep7 Slow-Wave Sleep Machine and a new microecological comprehensive solution - to help consumers with their sleep problems.
"China has a vast market. As a Canadian firm, we are lucky to participate in the market and achieve rapid growth thanks to the increasingly strong consumption potential in the country," Li Jingming said.
The CIIE is a landmark event that symbolizes China's dedication to global trade. It provides an inspiring platform for businesses from all over the world to showcase their innovations, to engage with Chinese consumers and partners in various areas, and to embrace China's development opportunities, Bill Anderson, Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer AG, told the Global Times.
From both an innovation and market perspective, China stands as one of Bayer's most vital strategic pillars. Our commitment to investing in this market is unwavering. Over the past year, we have launched new projects and double down our investment in China that emphasize our dedication to fostering innovation and collaboration. We are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead and remain steadfast in our mission to contribute positively to the Chinese economy, he added.
The Chinese government has already done great strides in the high-quality opening-up. The CIIE is a sharing platform that demonstrates exactly this, with high-quality, innovative products to be imported into China and support growing customer demands, Rainer Kern, vice president of German cleaning company Karcher Group and chief financial officer of Karcher China, told the Global Times on the sidelines of a promotion event run by MOFCOM on Tuesday afternoon.
The CIIE is a great platform to showcase the latest technologies and the confidence investors have in the Chinese government's ability to develop sustainable consumption policies, Kern said.
China has vowed to continue promoting high-level opening up. The recommendations of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) adopted by the recently concluded fourth plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee stressed that China will continue to expand opening-up at the institutional level, safeguard the multilateral trading system, and share opportunities with the rest of the world and promote common development.
source：GLOBAL TIMES