China opens doors for imports by holding CIIE
China International Import Expo (CIIE) is a trade fair that has been held in Shanghai, China every year since 2018. The event is the first expo in the world at the national level with the subject of imports.
Various exhibitors from different businesses and countries as well as “Hongqiao International Economic Forum” are participating in the expo. The formation of the China International Import Expo was personally proposed, promoted and directed by the current Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The exhibition is jointly organized by the Ministry of Commerce of China and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government. The partners of the CIIE include the World Trade Organization, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.
The purpose of the CIIE is to introduce China’s domestic market to foreign companies and strengthen domestic consumption. The exhibition has provided a platform for the cooperation of rich and poor countries as well as small and large economies in the form of win-win cooperation. It also allows companies and experts to talk closely to find their business partners.
China’s open-door policy
Reviewing the past five editions of the CIIE, “open doors” and “sharing opportunities” have always been the keywords in the five inaugural speeches of Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that not only will China’s doors not be closed, but they will become more open day by day. China will always provide a positive and stable driving force for the growth of the world economy, and will always be a large and dynamic market for countries looking for business opportunities. Parts of the Chinese president’s speech last year are as follows:
•Opening up is an important driving force for the progress of human civilization and the only way for global prosperity and development. Currently, the world is undergoing major changes not seen in a century and the global economy lacks the momentum to recover. We should use openness to solve development problems, use openness to bring together the power of cooperation, use openness to gather innovation momentum, and use openness to seek common interests. This action will benefit development results. It makes the people of all countries fairer.
•China will encourage all countries to share opportunities for deepening international cooperation, participate fully and deeply in WTO reform negotiations, promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and promote international macroeconomic policy coordination. , will jointly create a new impetus for global development, and will actively join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement, expand the global network of high-standard free trade zones. It will strongly support and assist developing countries to accelerate their development and promote the construction of a society with a common future for mankind.
•China is willing to work with other countries to practice true multilateralism, build greater consensus on opening up, and overcome the difficulties and challenges facing global economic development and the opening brings a new bright future for global development.
Introduction of CIIE 2023
The first edition of the expo was opened by President Xi Jinping in 2018. The 2019 Expo was also opened by Xi Jinping, while French President Emmanuel Macron was one of the honored visitors of the expo.
The fifth edition of the CIIE was held in 2022, with more than 2,800 booths and 100 countries as the turnover of the exhibition days last year was $73.6 billion.
This year, the sixth edition (CIIE 2023) will be held in Shanghai on November 5-10. The exhibition consists of four sections, including national pavilions, commercial pavilions, international economy section and activities related to cultural exchange.
Guests from 145 countries and international organizations will participate in the event. More than 3,400 exhibitors and 394,000 professional visitors have registered to attend the exhibition, which shows a complete return to the pre-coronavirus level. Hundreds of executives from Fortune 500 companies are expected to attend the CIIE, which shows an increase compared to previous years. A total of 15 major brands of the automotive industry, 10 major industrial power companies, 10 medical equipment manufacturers, three mining giants, four top grain trading companies and five top shipping companies have confirmed their presence in the exhibition.
The CIIE will be active in six major areas, including the following: Medical and health care equipment, food and agricultural products, smart industries and information technology, consumer goods, business services and automobiles.
Iran’s pavilion at CIIE 2023
The Iran-China Trade Center is responsible for holding the Iran Pavilion at the CIIE 2023. The pavilion offers Iranian products to buyers in the following four areas: food products, smart industries and information technology, medical equipment and consumer goods.
The invitation to participate in the exhibition was published by the Iran-China Trade Center in April, and the companies applying to participate in CIIE sent their documents to the center. A conference as well as press meetings were held by the center to better explain the opportunities in the CIIE. Iran’s trade pavilion in China is expected to provide opportunities for companies.
Officially invited by the Chinese prime minister, Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber will participate and give a speech at the opening ceremony of the exhibition.
High-ranking officials of some other countries, including Germany, Australia and Cuba will be also present and deliver speeches at the opening ceremony.
The opening of CIIE 2023 will be held in the presence of the Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, and then all the officials will attend the national pavilions of the invited countries and inaugurate them.
The presence of Iran’s first vice president in the great even is a new opportunity for the development of Iran’s international markets.