July 27 marked the 100-day countdown to the 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE). Meanwhile, exhibitor recruitment for the 10th CIIE was officially launched in Shanghai.

As the world’s first national-level expo themed on imports, the CIIE represents a pioneering initiative in the history of international trade. “Hosting the China International Import Expo is a major decision made by China to advance a new round of high-standard opening up, and a major initiative for China to voluntarily open its market to the world.” This solemn pledge by President Xi Jinping has guided the continuous improvement of the CIIE, turning it into a cooperation platform where China and the world share development opportunities and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results.

Through the window of the CIIE, we witness China’s unwavering commitment to opening its market to the world, its firm resolve to pursue high-standard opening up in the new era, and harmonious coexistence featuring mutual benefit as China and the world join hands to pursue shared development.

CIIE’s Global Pull Gathers Momentum

Wu Zhengping, Party Secretary and Deputy Director of China International Import Expo Bureau, noted that this year marks the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, and the requirement to “continue to run the CIIE well” has been included in the Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan. “Organizing this year’s CIIE with high quality bears great significance, and will lay a solid foundation for the 10th anniversary of the Expo.”

International guests shared their expectations for the Hongqiao International Economic Forum around building an open world economy. Diplomatic envoys stationed in China enthusiastically promoted specialty products and new technologies seeking access to the Chinese market. A series of investment and recruitment events were rolled out to facilitate advance matchmaking between exhibitors and buyers. On the day hitting the 100-day countdown, the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) was buzzing with activity.

Even before opening, this “extraordinary expo” has already ignited enthusiasm among global exhibitors, with all preparatory work forging ahead in an all-round and steady manner.

The National Pavilion will welcome new participants: 57 countries and three international organizations have confirmed their participation. Moldova, Romania and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will take part for the first time. The China Pavilion, themed “Breaking New Ground for Win-Win Future”, will fully showcase new opportunities and visions for China’s economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.

The Business Pavilion will feature more debut launches: Dow’s water-based silicone pressure-sensitive adhesive will make its global debut; Michelin’s digital twin tire solution will stage its Asia premiere; the new model of GE Healthcare’s Zhuque next-generation vascular interventional platform will be unveiled for the first time in China. A host of new products, services and technologies are set to debut at the Expo.

The number of global participating exhibitors has reached a new high. So far, more than 1,200 enterprises from 99 countries and regions have signed up for the Business Exhibition, over 100 more than the same period last year, including 265 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders, an increase of 10 year-on-year. The booked exhibition area exceeds 340,000 square metres, nearly 10,000 square metres larger than a year ago.

The influx of global exhibitors, alongside a pipeline of innovative new products, services and technologies, bears testimony to the magnetism of China’s vast market.

Since its debut in 2018, the CIIE has been successfully held for eight consecutive years. It has attracted participants from more than 180 countries, regions and international organizations, with 27,000 batches of overseas exhibitors joining the business exhibitions. Over 3,400 landmark new products, technologies and services have made their debuts, delivering remarkable outcomes and growing global influence.

Medtronic, a participant across all nine sessions of the CIIE, will unveil its closed-loop brain-computer interface ecosystem for the first time in the Asia-Pacific region this year, showcasing the latest progress of AI medical innovation evolving from conceptual exploration to clinical practice. Gu Yushao, Senior Vice President and President of Medtronic Greater China, expressed hopes to leverage the open cooperation platform of the CIIE to introduce more world-leading medical technologies, deepen integration between global innovations and local demands, and help more Chinese innovations go global at a faster pace.

China’s Opportunities Benefit the Whole World

Long-time participants deepen their presence, while new players keep pouring in, expanding the CIIE’s global circle of partners.

First-time exhibitors include French pharmaceutical group Pierre Fabre, Frasers Property which operates China’s first wholly foreign-owned tertiary general hospital, Dutch coatings firm AkzoNobel, American fashion brand Ralph Lauren, steel producer ArcelorMittal, and chocolate maker Godiva.

“We have strong confidence in the robust resilience of China’s economy, and value the boundless potential and vibrant innovation ecosystem within this huge market,” said Yin Tao, President of AkzoNobel China and Managing Director of Decorative Paints China & North Asia. “Standing at this window of opportunities offered by the CIIE, we hope not only to rapidly introduce world-leading technologies into China, but also to pursue continuous innovation based in-depth insights into the Chinese market and present our local scientific and technological achievements.”

Exhibits turn into commodities, accelerating global innovative technologies’ access to the market. Boston Scientific has seen 24 of its CIIE exhibits approved for marketing in China. Among them, the intravascular ultrasound system has transformed from pure imports to being manufactured in Shanghai and supplied worldwide.

Exhibitors grow into investors, as multinationals ramp up investment in China. In January, construction officially kicked off on Sanofi’s insulin API production base in Beijing. Worth 1 billion euros, it represents Sanofi’s largest single investment in China. In March, Sanofi inaugurated its first Innovation and Operations Center in Chengdu. Sanofi rolled out multiple investment initiatives in the first half of this year, demonstrating its solid confidence in China.

Companies join hands to build innovation ecosystems. Wan Shang Boru, President of L’Oréal North Asia and CEO of L’Oréal China, has served as rotating chair of the CIIE Exhibitors Alliance Council for years. Through its open innovation platform, the BIG BANG Beauty Tech Co-Creation Initiative, L’Oréal has partnered with Chinese enterprises on innovation for many years. One of the Sino-foreign innovations incubated under the framework, the Lancôme R.A.F. Sculpting Beauty Device debuted at the 8th CIIE last year, and is now available in more than 20 countries and regions globally.

In January this year, AstraZeneca announced plans to invest over 100 billion yuan in China by 2030. “Over the past nine years, the CIIE has become a vital platform facilitating international exchange and cooperation, offering important opportunities for multinationals to deepen their presence in China and serve the world,” said Lin Xiao, General Manager of AstraZeneca China. “AstraZeneca firmly believes in China and the CIIE. We will keep scaling up investment, deepening cooperation, promoting innovation, and actively integrate into China’s high-quality development.”

China’s large market means opportunities for the world. Statistics show China’s imports reached 10.74 trillion yuan in the first half of the year, rising 22.1% year-on-year, 8.7 percentage points higher than export growth. The number of newly established foreign-invested enterprises increased by 5.3% year-on-year, with utilized foreign capital exceeding 400 billion yuan. Foreign investment in high-tech industries rose 33.2% year-on-year, accounting for a record high of 42.4% of the total.

Inclusive Connectivity Links the Global Industrial Chain

On July 27, exhibitor recruitment for the 10th CIIE in 2027 officially got underway in Shanghai. A total of 68 overseas enterprises and institutions signed agreements to secure booths one year in advance, locking in over 50,000 square metres of exhibition space in the first batch. This fully demonstrates the strong appeal of the CIIE and China’s economy.

Multinational corporations booking CIIE booths well in advance reflects their solid optimism toward the Chinese market.

Against a backdrop of intertwined and volatile international situations, China’s economy has remained within a reasonable range amid pressures, with sustained development resilience. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently lowered its forecast for global economic growth this year, while raising its growth projection for China by 0.2 percentage points.

David Blair, Deputy Director of the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) and Chief Economist of the Global Federation of International Talent Organizations, commented that the annual and continuously improving CIIE sends a key message: China consistently honors its commitment to maintaining openness to international investment and trade. “This is invaluable at a time when global economic recovery lacks momentum and trade protectionism is on the rise.”

On the banks of the Huangpu River, crowds fill the Lu-Link Global Premium Consumer Goods Exhibition Base, which commenced operation in June at the heart of the Lujiazui business district.

The quick exhibition zone is fully renovated, allowing exhibitors to move in with minimal preparations. The pop-up zone leaves space for brands to design bespoke experience scenarios. The trading exhibition zone caters to mature exhibitors with ongoing operations. Li Cong, General Manager of China CIIE Global Commercial Management Co., Ltd., operator of Lu-Link, said Lu-Link operates with public welfare attributes, serving as a landing hub for overseas brands entering China and transforming CIIE exhibits. It provides overseas companies with a low-cost, high-efficiency channel to explore the Chinese market.

Over the next five years, the advantages of China’s super-large-scale market will continue to unfold. Priorities including scientific and technological innovation, expanding domestic demand, green transition and opening-up will bring enormous development opportunities to global industries.

For years, the CIIE has provided free booths for exhibitors from least developed countries to cut their participation costs. This year, it will further upgrade the Asia-Africa Product Zone, actively help exhibitors and commodities from African diplomatic partners seize zero-tariff opportunities, and encourage more Global South countries to leverage the CIIE platform.

“The CIIE advocates an outward-oriented economic development path and helps realize the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind,” said Einar Tangen, Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. Small and medium-sized enterprises from Global South nations, especially those in Africa, were once on the periphery of global trade. China has offered them opportunities to share the fruits of opening-up and development.

For successive years, inspiring voices firmly supporting economic globalization and an open global order have resonated at the Hongqiao International Economic Forum. This year, themed “Stable Cooperation: Building an Open World Economy”, the Forum will release the World Openness Report 2026 alongside the latest World Openness Index, fully illustrating the rich implications of “China Opportunity 2.0”. It will also launch the debut Report on Capacity to Export to China, illustrating the potential of China’s large market and helping more countries boost their export capacity to China.

Stephen Jackson, UN Resident Coordinator in China, pointed out that China’s continued advancement of high-standard opening-up sends a crucial signal to the world. By boosting trade exchanges, investment cooperation, scientific and technological innovation and connectivity, China has delivered tangible contributions to improving global economic governance and achieving inclusive development.

Source: Shanghai Securities News