By Liao Ruiling
The sixth China International Import Expo (CIIE) is scheduled to be held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) from Nov. 5 to 10.
As the world's first import-themed national-level expo, the CIIE has become a showcase of China's new development paradigm, a platform for high-standard opening-up, and a public good for the whole world.
The first CIIE was held in Shanghai in November 2018. Since then, the CIIE has been held annually in November, becoming an important platform for promoting exchanges and cooperation among enterprises and various parties.
In the previous five editions, 131 countries and international organizations participated in country exhibitions, with nearly 2,000 new products, technologies, and services making their debuts and a total intended turnover reaching nearly $350 billion.
The sixth CIIE will resume offline country exhibition and invite guest countries of honor. So far, over 60 countries have officially announced their participation in this year's country exhibition. Notably, prominent international organizations, including the World Trade Organization, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and the International Trade Center, have also confirmed their attendance. Approximately 3,000 enterprises will attend the sixth CIIE, too, with total exhibition areas surpassing 360,000 square meters.
According to preliminary statistics, at least dozens of executives from Fortune Global 500 and industry-leading companies will attend the exhibition. Over 330 guests from some 30 countries and regions are expected to join the Hongqiao International Economic Forum.
This year's CIIE will welcome both new friends that are about to make their debut at the event and old friends that have joined the exhibition before. Among the 3,000 global companies participating this year, approximately 200 companies have been signing up for six consecutive years, and around 400 companies are returning to the expo after a gap of more than two years.
"GE HealthCare is one of the earliest multinational corporations to participate in the CIIE. We've joined every year since the first edition," said Zhong Luyin, chief communications officer of GE HealthCare China.
She noted that the CIIE is a place where cutting edge technologies are showcased, and has become a platform for many healthcare enterprises to debut their new products, frontier technologies and services.
"This year we will launch 10 products and services, in hope to strengthen communication with our partners through this platform," Zhong added.
Many exhibitors have already booked exhibition booths for the 7th CIIE. At a signing ceremony for exhibitors of the 7th CIIE held on Sept. 15, 25 enterprises including GE HealthCare and Panasonic signed contracts or MoUs concerning the exhibition at the 7th CIIE. So far, contracted exhibition area for the CIIE next year has exceeded 40,000 square meters.
As a member of the delegation of centrally-administered state-owned enterprises to the CIIE, China Construction Second Engineering Bureau Co.,Ltd. will attend the CIIE for a fifth time this year.
"The CIIE provides us with a platform to purchase global products without leaving the country. The elevators, electrical equipment and other imported products we procured at the CIIE were intelligent and environmentally friendly, providing strong support for our efforts in promoting green and smart construction," said Zhao Guozheng, deputy general manager of East China Branch of China Construction Second Engineering Bureau Co., Ltd.
A range of significant opening-up measures have been introduced for the CIIE, which showcases China's confidence and determination in opening up.
According to Sun Chenghai, deputy director of the CIIE Bureau, these measures announced during the expo to facilitate the entry of exhibitors and buyers, to provide tax incentives for retained exhibits, and to strengthen intellectual property right protection, have optimized the domestic business environment.
This July, the General Administration of Customs issued 17 measures to facilitate the 6th CIIE. These measures cover the entire process from exhibitor admission to customs clearance and post-exhibition disposal of exhibits.
The 6th CIIE will also expand its scope of exhibition, allowing animal and plant products and food that have not completed inspection and quarantine procedures from countries or regions that are free from animal and plant epidemics to join the exhibition after obtaining special approvals.
Sheng Qiuping, China's vice minister of commerce, said that in the future, China will work to rationally reduce the negative list of foreign investment in pilot free trade zones, and at the same time, promote the introduction of a negative list for cross-border trade in services, and lead the country to continue to expand opening up.