How and why this year's import expo is bigger and better

As a business reporter, I've covered dozens of major events in China over the last eight years. So, I'd imagine I've developed an instinctive ability to recognize a good thing when I see one. And I spotted one in the lead-up to the sixth CIIE that opened in Shanghai on Sunday. It offered a great opportunity to see multinational corporations' unwavering commitment to the Chinese market.

Two weeks ago, various unique exhibits from the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu, together with Manuka honey, grass-fed venison, wine and cheese from New Zealand, completed their long maritime journey and arrived at the Waigaoqiao port in Shanghai.

Other exhibits for the expo similarly reached the expo venue after long flights or freight train rides. For instance, on the evening of Sept 20, a "green" tire from French mobility company Michelin arrived at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. After a quick clearance at Shanghai Customs on Sept 21, it figured among the first batch of expo exhibits.

On the same day, this year's first CIIE edition of the China-Europe freight train departed from Duisburg, Germany, for Shanghai and arrived at the destination on Oct 11.It shipped exhibits worth 16 million euros ($17 million), including cosmetic products and other goods.

According to its operator Shanghai Oriental Silk Road Multimodal Transport Co Ltd, the CIIE edition of the China-Europe freight train service will increase to three trains, continuously transporting products to the expo from across the Eurasian continent.

Just as expo exhibits materialized one after another, executives of participating enterprises emerged in the city in the run-up to the event. Data from the Ministry of Commerce showed that participants from more than 150 countries and regions, as well as international organizations, are participating in the expo.

Spread over 367,000 square meters, this year's expo is witnessing the participation of a record 289 Fortune 500 enterprises and industry-leading businesses. Among them, many are six-time participants.

In 2018, China decided to hold the CIIE annually for expanding the country's opening-up and turning its enormous market into enormous opportunities for the world. Five years on, the CIIE has evolved into a showcase for China's new development paradigm, a platform for high-standard opening-up and a public good for the whole world.

As the first import-themed State-level expo in the world, the CIIE has been witnessing the opening of China's doors to the rest of the world. It is also driving the process of high-standard opening-up in China.

Zhou Mi, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing, said: "This year's expo is expected to demonstrate new features. Seeing China's strong revival momentum, enterprises relocate resources more freely based on consumers' needs and demand from the upstream and downstream of the supply chains. They now offer their advantageous products with the degree of freedom that was unavailable during the three-year COVID-19 pandemic period (2020-22)."

Hong Yong, an associate research fellow at the e-commerce research department of the Ministry of Commerce, said: "As the first CIIE after the three-year pandemic, the sixth CIIE is attracting a broader scale of exhibitors and visitors, from a wider range of industries, facilitating more international participation.

"The popularity of the CIIE demonstrates that China's opening-up policies have received positive feedback from the international society," he said.