Global businesses have flocked to the China International Import Expo (CIIE) for product debuts, seeing it as a showcase of innovation and a gateway to deeper engagement with China's massive domestic market.
Running from Nov 5 to 10 in the east China megacity of Shanghai, this year's CIIE featured debuts of 461 products, technologies, and services from global companies.
A key advantage of the CIIE, according to global business executives, is that it provides a chance for them to test their prototypes directly with Chinese consumers.
"So CIIE is like a laboratory. We have thousands of people come here every year, right? And we're able to show some innovation, and we're also able to get direct feedback from them. It was three years ago when we showed this product here as a prototype, and we got such good, positive feedback that we were able to launch a real product from this concept within one year," said Frank Hammes, Global CEO of the Swiss air purification company IQAir.
"We have brought over 40 new products and solutions here this year. In recent years, through CIIE, we have launched many new products, which are very well received in the market. For example, our quantum platform introduced in 2023 has already been successfully implemented in China," said Xu Minda, Vice President, Strategy and Chief Marketing Officer at GE Healthcare.
By directly collecting feedback from Chinese consumers, companies can be better inspired to upgrade and innovate.
"Chinese customers, personally speaking, are the most demanding in the world. For high-tech innovators, that's a blessing. The higher and more special the customers' demands are, the more innovative technologies we can develop. It is a great opportunity for us," said Yu Feng, President of Honeywell China, an automation and control solutions provider.
"The Chinese market is not only a sales market, but also a source of inspiration for innovation. Chinese consumers are quite demanding. We hope to use the CIIE platform to showcase our products, gather feedback, and eventually carry out research, development, and manufacturing in China," said Cai Menghong, President of Herbalife China, a nutrition manufacturer.
As one of China's representative expos, this CIIE has attracted 4,108 overseas exhibitors from 155 countries, regions and international organizations as well as representatives from Chinese agencies and government authorities this year. The grand gathering provides a chance for businesses to reach out.
"For us, it's really a great opportunity to meet government representatives, industry experts, but also peers, we can exchange. And also for us it's a super good opportunity to showcase all of our products. And usually these shows, they only have one focus, but here we can show it all," said Martin Fischer, President and CEO of ZEISS Greater China.
"[CIIE] really creates an environment where companies like ours can bring new technology to China. What's important today is that we announced that we have a partnership with an ice company here, local in China. We're really looking forward to localization with that product, but also many more as we continue to grow in China," said Rebecca Seidel, Senior Vice President of U.S. based pharma-tech company Medtronic and President of the company's Cardiac Ablation Solutions Operating Unit.
"We value the spillover benefits of CIIE. Today, we signed a cooperation agreement with the Academy for Clinical Innovation and Translation of Shanghai. We hope to leverage the high-level strategic talent and patient resources in leading cities such as Beijing and Shanghai to enhance clinical research in China," said Wang Li, Senior Vice President of Eli Lilly, another pharma giant in the U.S.
Global businesses see CIIE as gateway to engagement with Chinese market
