A floral decoration for the 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE) is displayed with the event logo at the Bund in Shanghai on November 3, 2024. This edition of the CIIE will be held from November 5 to 10. Photo: VCG

The 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE) is in the global spotlight as foreign leaders and industry representatives gather in Shanghai for the major trade event scheduled to take place from Tuesday to Sunday .

Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend the opening ceremony of the 7th CIIE and relevant events, and deliver a speech, Ministry of Commerce spokesperson He Yadong announced on Sunday.

At the invitation of Premier Li, foreign leaders including Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene and Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, will participate in the meeting. opening ceremony of this year’s CIIE and relevant events, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced on Sunday.

Themed “New Era, Shared Future”, the 7th CIIE attracted participants from 152 countries, regions and international organizations, and reached a new record with 297 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders expected, Tang said Wenhong, deputy minister of commerce, said at a news conference, Xinhua news agency reported.

As an important part of the CIIE, the Hongqiao International Economic Forum will include a main forum and 19 sub-forums.

The CIIE serves to introduce China’s key opening-up and confidence-building measures, share China’s new development opportunities with other countries, and contribute to improving the rules of global economic governance and promoting construction. of an open global economy, Tang said.

Zhou Mi, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Sunday that as an important platform for importing goods from abroad, this year’s CIIE has maintained its substantial size and increased its attractiveness to the world. , reflecting both the continued optimization of China’s domestic economic structure and the importance of the country’s market for global businesses.

Active participation

As preparations for the Grand Import Expo enter the final stage, participating countries and enterprises have shown great enthusiasm about the event by displaying high-quality products to seize opportunities for booming market in the world’s second-largest economy, the Global Times learned from officials and business representatives on Sunday.

In an exclusive written interview with the Global Times on Sunday, Djauhari Oratmangun, Indonesia’s ambassador to China, said Indonesia will participate in this year’s CIIE with two pavilions: the country pavilion and the product pavilion.

For the product pavilion, 15 Indonesian companies will showcase their best consumer products such as coffee, swallow’s nests, spices, snacks, confectionery and fruits, he noted.

In the national pavilion, Indonesia will showcase cooperation opportunities, especially in tourism, renewable energy, financial technology, biotechnology and downstream industry, the ambassador said, noting that some companies Indonesian companies participating as exhibitors this year include Astra, a leading palm oil company. , Mayora, a multinational food and beverage company, and Merdeka, a metals and minerals mining holding company.

“We hope that the CIIE will help boost trade between Indonesia and China, so that Indonesia’s best products can access the Chinese market and reach a new high this year,” Oratmangun said.

Oratmangun’s comments illustrate the importance that foreign countries attach to this exhibition.

France, participating as a “guest of honor” at this year’s CIIE, “highlights France’s exceptional products and the commitment of French companies to the Chinese market,” according to a press release from the French embassy in China sent to the Global Times on Sunday.

This year’s CIIE is particularly important for China and France, as 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and it is also the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism . This “guest of honor” status in a special way highlights the flourishing commercial cooperation between China and France, the embassy said.

Nineteen French companies will participate, covering sectors such as food, wine and spirits and luxury goods, according to the embassy, ​​which noted that “all of these companies have a long-standing presence in the Chinese market “.

Sustainable development is one of the important themes of the CIIE this year. For the first time, the CIIE will organize events on the theme of “sustainable development driven by new quality productive forces”, to explore ways for enterprises to achieve green and sustainable development.

On the occasion of the exhibition, Kari Hakala, executive director of FinnCham China Shanghai, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview on Sunday that this year, the Finnish pavilion, located in Hall 5.2, will bring together 18 companies from important sectors for the world. the future of business, including energy, advanced materials and the circular economy.

The Chinese and Finnish economies complement each other in many areas, opening up great growth opportunities, Hakala said, noting that “China has long been one of Finland’s main trading partners in Asia, giving Finnish companies a solid anchor point in their markets.” develop in this dynamic market, especially as the demand for innovative and sustainable products continues to increase.

“Since the beginning, CIIE has been one of the most important events of the year to deepen business ties and open new avenues for growth… In my opinion, being part of CIIE is a good opportunity for Finland to strengthen its trade ties with China and showcase some of our most forward-thinking companies,” Hakala said.

During the exhibition, Finnish Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio is expected to be present at the pavilion, according to the Finnish government, which Hakala said “further underlines the importance of this event.”

According to the General Administration of Customs of China, in the first three quarters of 2024, China’s imports and exports reached 32.33 trillion yuan ($4.54 trillion). Among them, imports totaled 13.71 trillion yuan, an increase of 4.1%, a record high.

Chinese consumers have strong demand for innovative and quality products with superior performance and cost-effectiveness, creating significant opportunities for businesses around the world, Zhou said, noting that as the country pursues rapid development, high quality and greater openness, the potential for foreign businesses will only grow.