The China International Import Expo (CIIE) offers foreign companies a key trade platform to showcase their products and expand sales in China, a business leader has said, noting that many Portuguese companies are keen to participate again this year. In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Bernardo Mendia, secretary-general of the Portugal-China Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the chamber promotes the CIIE widely in Portugal through its online platforms and at physical events held every year. "I'm aware that many Portuguese companies will participate. We as China-Portugal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, we promote widely in Portugal through all our online platforms. We also organize every year, we try to organize or at least participate in a physical event in Portugal to promote China International Import Fair. And the AICEP, which is the Portuguese investment agency, every year they organize a group of Portuguese companies and they themselves are present there with their own booth," Mendia said.
"I believe this year will not be an exception, and so they will participate again. It's a quite relevant participation. We understand that this has a lot of interest for our companies, because it's a trade exhibition that is for foreign entities to showcase their products and make sales in China. So it's precisely what we need to do more, so it's perfect. And we are very happy that China is still continuing to organize and put so much importance in this exhibition in Shanghai," he said.
The ninth CIIE will be held in Shanghai from November 5 to 10. Launched in 2018 as the world's first national-level expo dedicated to imports, the CIIE was designed to expand China's opening-up and turn its vast market into a shared opportunity for the world.
China's import expo offers foreign companies key platform to showcase products: chamber head
China's new-type energy storage industry has achieved notable results and established a complete industrial chain, a senior official with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Thursday.
In his opening speech at the 2026 World Energy Storage Conference held in Ningde City of east China's Fujian Province, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology Xiong Jijun highlighted the country's progress in the sector.
China's storage battery output exceeded 420 GWh in the first half of 2026, up about 110 percent year on year. The industry is advancing on multiple technological routes, with lithium batteries playing a leading role alongside sodium-ion and flow batteries, according to Xiong.
In terms of application scenarios, new-type energy storage is being increasingly deployed across a wide range of areas, including new energy power grids, industrial and commercial electricity consumption, data centers, and transportation, he noted.
Next, Xiong said, in developing the new energy storage industry, safety should be given top priority, and core competitiveness should be built with high-quality and safe products. In addition, enterprises will be urged to strengthen technological innovation.
"It is essential to closely follow the development trends of new-type storage energy storage technologies, increase investment in research and development, and promote the upgrading and development of materials, production processes and equipment. Efforts should be focused on making breakthroughs in key areas such as long-duration energy storage and intrinsic safety, accelerating the shift from scale expansion to innovation-driven development, and fostering healthy and orderly development of the industry," he said.
The 2026 World Energy Storage Conference, held from Wednesday to Friday, brought together participants to discuss cutting-edge technologies, prospects for the energy storage industry, and China's position in the global energy storage market.
Ningde City has hosted the conference three times previously, an event that has attracted representatives from governments, industries and academia in over 50 countries and regions.
China has built complete industrial chain for energy storage: vice minister
