The sixth China International Import Expo (CIIE) opened in Shanghai on November 5. President Xi Jinping sent a letter to the expo, reiterating China’s firm determination to advance high-standard opening up and facilitate the building of an open world economy.
Premier Li Qiang attended the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote speech, stressing that China sincerely hopes to work with other countries to make efforts in the same direction and make mutual achievements on a grand stage of openness.
For the first time since COVID-19, all CIIE events are once again held physically. A total of 289 Fortune 500 companies and industry leaders are participating, including 15 major global automobile brands, ten leading industrial electrical companies, ten major medical device companies, three mining giants, four major grains dealers, and five major shipping companies.
The Business Exhibition area reached a new record level of 367,000 square meters. This CIIE also saw other “firsts”—the first delegation of American small and medium companies, the first designated area for African agricultural products and the first match-making event for small and medium enterprises. Many exhibitors said they hope to showcase their latest and best products and let more people see what their home countries have to offer at the CIIE, which certainly demonstrates the expo’s ability to attract.
As the world’s first national-level expo dedicated to import, the CIIE seeks to further connect China with the rest of the world. It is an increasingly important platform for international procurement, investment promotion, people-to-people and cultural exchange, and openness and cooperation. It is a showcase of China’s new development paradigm, a platform for high-standard opening up, and a public good for the whole world.
The fact that more quality products from around the world have entered the Chinese market is good news not only for the Chinese consumers, but also for integrating Chinese and foreign goods, services and technologies. It also drives industrial upgrade and make life better in relevant countries and regions. Thanks to the CIIE, more and more foreign companies are able to access the vast Chinese market made available by China’s high-level opening-up, share in the huge dividends brought by China’s high-quality development, and see China’s readiness to share opportunities with the whole world.
