The mascot of CIIE is seen outside the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai on Oct 18, 2022. (PHOTO / IC)
The 5th China International Import Expo will be held in Shanghai, its permanent host city, from Saturday to Thursday, providing a platform for companies from around the world to display their products, promote their brands and find business partners.
That exhibitors from 145 foreign countries, regions and international organizations are participating, markedly more than the number for the expo last year, highlights the CIIE's appeal and the important role it plays as an energizer of the world trade.
The CIIE has been successfully held four times since 2018, and it has become an important international public good.
The event has additional significance this year as it is the first major expo to be hosted by the country after the conclusion of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
The hospitality Shanghai has extended to the exhibitors coming from around the world should serve to consolidate the international community's confidence that China will continue to open its door wider to the world as the congress affirmed, and that, in the process, all countries can benefit from the growing interplay between the Chinese and international markets.
Highlighting that the country is pursuing higher-quality opening-up, this year's CIIE has set up new exhibition zones for the crop seed industry and artificial intelligence, and some international organizations, including the World Intellectual Property Organization and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization will take part in forums to be held on the sidelines of the event.
That the four previous CIIEs have all been held as planned and this year's event is to go ahead as scheduled, despite the continuing COVID-19 pandemic which has forced many events to be canceled or postponed, reflects the country's resolve as the largest exporter in the world and the second-largest importer to play its part in sustaining the stability of the global supply chains and promoting free trade.
Leveraging the appeal of China's huge market to attract global resources and production factors creates multi-win scenarios. That explains why the expo is attracting more and more exhibitors, including more of the world's top 500 corporations.
With the Russia-Ukraine conflict taking its toll on the EU economy and the inflation-inflicting United States wielding the baton of protectionism and unilateralism, China, along with other emerging market economies, particularly those in Asia, has displayed an admirable commitment to advancing trade, and boosting cooperation and exchanges.
It is to be hoped that the CIIE is successful in not only facilitating trade and exchanges but also strengthening the recognition that win-win cooperation is indispensable to kick-start a global economic recovery and revitalize global development.