By Qiu Haifeng, People's Daily
Shanghai customs is seeing an influx of inbound exhibits as the fifth China International Import Expo (CIIE) has entered the final preparation stage, according to the CIIE Bureau and the General Administration of Customs.
The event is expected to be held in Shanghai as scheduled between Nov. 5 and 10.
The CIIE is the world's first import-themed fair held at a national level. It shows China's commitment to expanding high-level opening-up.
The event, constantly advancing international procurement, investment promotion, cultural exchange and open cooperation during the past five years, has become a place for global exhibitors to debut their new products, cutting-edge technologies and innovative services. The transaction volume of the event has exceeded $70 billion in each of the past three years.
The fifth CIIE will be a higher-level and more professional event joined by more participants. Over 280 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry-leading enterprises have confirmed their participation, of which nearly 90 percent are repeat participants.
A large number of new products will also be debuted at the event. The fifth CIIE is expected to build a better platform for global enterprises to share development opportunities and pursue win-win cooperation.
Global exhibits are speeding up their pace to Shanghai. Since mid-September, Shanghai Customs has established more than 100 CIIE-exclusive counters and channels for customs clearance.
On Sept. 21, a ping-pong robot manufactured by Japanese electronics manufacturer Omron acquired the ATA Carnet certificate, a "passport" for international exhibits. It was the first inbound exhibit of the fifth CIIE to have cleared customs by sea.
"We have provided services for inbound CIIE exhibits for five years. As more foreign exhibits are coming in, the customs clearance is also getting more and more convenient," said the shipping agent of Omron. Relevant procedures were completed in just hours, according to the agent.
At the end of September, a "Jinbo (short for CIIE in Chinese)" China-Europe freight train took off from the northern German city of Hamburg for Shanghai.
Fourteen 40-foot containers loaded with products to be displayed at the CIIE are passing through Poland, Belarus, and Russia, and will enter Shanghai in mid-October via the Chinese land port of Manzhouli in north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region.
The products include automotive parts, mechanical components, concentrated cleaning fluids and automotive friction materials. This is the second year that the service has delivered products to the CIIE in Shanghai.
Apart from facilitated customs clearance, new regulations have been issued to ensure a better CIIE.
A regulation was implemented in Shanghai on Oct. 1 to encourage better services in entrance & exits, volunteering, intellectual property rights protection and legal assistance. The regulation guarantees the debuts of global new products, new services andnew technologies in the fifth CIIE.
Sun Chenghai, deputy head of the CIIE Bureau, noted that CIIE organizers have developed support policies to help businesses overcome problems, which will benefit participants of the CIIE in terms of tax, market admission and customs clearance.
Besides, special measures have been taken for the least developed countries participating in the expo, including the provision of free exhibition booths, Sun added.
With better services and a more solid platform, the fifth CIIE has driven up exhibitors' expectations.
French company Schneider Electric, joining the event for the fifth time this year, will showcase its latest outcomes in green energy management and intelligent manufacturing. Engineering and technology company Honeywell, an "old friend" of the CIIE, is expected to display over 60 innovative products and solutions, including two items to debut in China.
This year, Iceland will participate in the CIIE country exhibition for the first time, bringing its seafood, alcohol, chocolate and cosmetics.
Li Xingqian, an official with China's Ministry of Commerce, noted that China places high importance on imports and is working actively to expand imports.
The country will maintain its efforts to host the CIIE and introduce commodities from more countries, so as to share the opportunities of its development and opening up, Li said.
