The sixth China International Import Expo (CIIE), scheduled for Nov. 5-10 in Shanghai, will be a grand gathering of global trade and cooperation, with participants from 154 countries, regions and international organizations, said Vice Minister of Commerce Sheng Qiuping on Monday.
At a press conference in Beijing, Sheng said that the CIIE has become a major platform for promoting high-quality development and high-level opening up in China, as well as a public good for the whole world.
The exhibition area of the expo will be around 367,000 square meters, and 289 Global Fortune 500 companies and industry-leading enterprises are poised to attend the expo, both exceeding the previous levels, Sheng said.
A total of 69 countries and three international organizations have confirmed their participation in the country exhibitions, of which 11 countries will make their debuts and 34 will participate in offline exhibitions for the first time.
Sheng said that over 1,500 enterprises from Belt and Road partner countries are gearing up to participate in the sixth CIIE, with their exhibition area totaling nearly 80,000 square meters, an increase of 30 percent from last year’s event.
He added that an array of new products in areas of high-end equipment manufacturing, environmental protection and biotechnology will be initiated at the year’s CIIE, while exotic agricultural products such as yellow dragon fruit from Ecuador and pineapples from Benin will enter the Chinese market via the expo.
The previous five expos have seen about 350 billion U.S. dollars’ worth of tentative deals, contributing to stabilizing foreign trade and investment, Sheng said, adding that 322 CIIE exhibitors will be organized to make business trips in China in a bid to attract foreign investment.
At this year’s Hongqiao International Economic Forum, an important part of the CIIE, the World Openness Report 2023 and the latest World Openness Index will be released, Sheng said.
He also said that the CIIE will continue to implement strict epidemic prevention and control measures to ensure the safety and health of all participants.