Guest countries of honor at 8th CIIE showcase cultural charm, industrial ingenuity

China

Guest countries of honor at 8th CIIE showcase cultural charm, industrial ingenuity

2025-11-07 15:26 Last Updated At：18:57

All guest countries of honor at the ongoing 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE) opened national pavilions on Thursday, showcasing numerous exhibits featuring distinct national characteristics.

Six countries, including Thailand, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Nigeria, Georgia, Sweden and Colombia, are participating this year's CIIE as guests of honor.

Making its debut as a guest of honor at the expo, Sweden has brought multiple new products in areas including high-end manufacturing and green technology.

The country's pavilion has captured attention by combining displays of Sweden's culture of liesurely lifestyle along with new high-end manufactured products.

"For our Swedish companies, it's important to meet with Chinese companies and we believe that China is the world leader in innovation. So our companies need to be here to meet with the Chinese companies," said Emil Akander, vice president for Asia Pacific at Business Sweden, a government-commissioned business advocacy organization.

Having participated in the CIIE for eight consecutive years, Colombia is also appearing as a guest of honor for the first time. Passionate traditional dance performances and tastings of coffee and chocolate are showcasing South American cultural charm.

"We have a team of 29 companies this time. As the CIIE grows larger with more participants and companies, this platform becomes increasingly important for Colombia," said Oscar Felipe Rueda, Commercial Counsellor at the Embassy of Colombia in China.

From Thai rice to heavy trucks, the guest of honor countries at the event are presenting a wide range of exhibits that highlight their respective competitive industries and achievements in bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

This year's CIIE, themed "New Era, Shared Future", runs from Nov 5 to 10. It features the largest exhibition area in its history and a record 4,108 overseas exhibitors from 155 countries, regions, and international organizations.

Gulf countries consider new pipelines to avoid Strait of Hormuz: Financial Times

Impact of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran is pushing Gulf countries to revisit costly plans for pipelines to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, so that they can continue to export oil and gas, the Financial Times newspaper reported on Thursday.

"Officials and industry executives say new pipelines may be the only way to reduce Gulf countries' enduring vulnerability to disruption in the strait, even though such projects would be expensive, politically complex and take years to complete," said the report.

"Previous plans for pipelines across the region have repeatedly stalled, undone by high costs and complexity," it said.

The Strait of Hormuz is a vital global energy corridor bordered by Iran to the north.

Around a fifth of global liquefied natural gas supply passed through the Strait of Hormuz, which also carries about one quarter of global seaborne oil trade.

Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities on Feb. 28, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes against Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East, while tightening control over the Strait of Hormuz by restricting passage to vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States.