Colombian consul general, Swedish exhibitor share expectations for upcoming 8th CIIE

Colombia’s consul general in Shanghai and a Swedish exhibitor have shared their preparations and expectations for the upcoming 2025 China International Import Expo (CIIE).

Monday marks the 50-day countdown to the 2025 CIIE, scheduled to be held in Shanghai from Nov. 5 to 10.

Serving as an essential window for China to showcase its openness to overseas businesses, this year’s CIIE features Colombia, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates as the guest countries of honor. Noting that this year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Colombia, Miguel Alberto Gomez Velez, Consul General of Colombia in Shanghai, said in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) that the CIIE will help deepen bilateral cooperation in multiple fields.

"We are very happy that Colombia is the Guest Country of Honor at the 8th China International Import Expo. This is a golden opportunity to showcase the diversity and competitiveness of our export portfolio, featuring world-renowned agricultural products such as coffee, flowers, avocados, cocoa, and beef, among other goods and services. The expo is not only a bridge for business. It will also help deepen cooperation in strategic areas such as infrastructure, energy transition, sustainability, and cultural exchange. We are commemorating the 45th anniversary of the opening of diplomatic relations between our two countries. We hope that our participation as Guest Country of Honor will become a key instrument to diversify trade, attract investment, and broaden spaces for collaboration, while further bringing our peoples closer together," he said.

An exhibitor from Sweden said the CIIE offers a good platform to expand business in China, and learn more about the country.

"We really want to grow with the country and also show the world what China is up to and the opportunities there are in China. That’s what we are an interested partner we want to be, and we want to be with China together in the journey of opening up to the rest of the world. This is why we have been a long partner of the China International Import Expo fair, it brings us closer to the authority and the rest of the business world in China, so definitely yes. Every year we take the opportunity either to launch a collection or to launch a theme, because we really think that it’s an important moment for us," she said.

Colombian consul general, Swedish exhibitor share expectations for upcoming 8th CIIE

Nicaragua's co-foreign minister Valdrack Jaentschke has warned that militarism must never be allowed to rise again, as Japan's recent moves to lift its arms export ban and revise the pacifist Constitution continue to draw international concern.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Trials, where Japan's Class-A war criminals from World War II were brought to justice.

In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Valdrack Jaentschke voiced his concern that today's world order is being undermined by interventionism and other challenges.

"It is necessary for us to remember that after the end of World War II, countries worked hard to build a new international order based on international law. However, regrettably, more than 80 years later, we are seeing that this once explored and attempted order is being challenged by interventionism, a confrontational mindset, and tendencies like 'might makes right.' These are precisely the conditions that gave rise to fascism and militarism in the past, which ultimately led to the tragedy of World War II," he said.

He said the international community has a responsibility to pursue a new international order -- one fundamentally grounded in peace.

"Looking back at the history more than eight decades ago and comparing it with today's reality, it is our responsibility to recognize that the world should, and must, build a new international order that is more just, fairer, rooted in international law, based on a logic of mutual benefit and shared success, and fundamentally grounded in peace," said the minister.

"Today, as we revisit the Tokyo Trials, it is meant to remind the world that such a tragedy must never be repeated -- and that we must do everything in our power to prevent it from happening again. We must stop that dark world -- born from militarism, interventionism, and fascism -- from ever returning," he said.

Nicaraguan FM warns of militarism revival