The ninth China International Import Expo (CIIE) is set to feature 81 groups of cultural relics and artworks with a total value exceeding 400 million yuan (about 60 million U.S. dollars), as exhibits are transported to the National Exhibition and Convention Center for installation ahead of the expo's opening in Shanghai on November 5.
This year marks the sixth consecutive year that the CIIE has set up a dedicated cultural relics and artworks zone.
On Friday, six artworks from France and the United States were declared for release from the bonded zone.
Among the exhibits is a 1950 crocodile brooch by American jewelry designer David Webb. The golden crocodile features emerald eyes and a diamond-encrusted neck.
Another set of century-old red enamel gold boxes, includes a portable powder box, cigarette case and snuff box, will be displayed at this year's CIIE alongside the crocodile brooch and ruby earrings.
According to Shanghai Customs, as of Thursday, nine companies had declared 81 batches of cultural relics and artworks, valued at approximately 474 million yuan, for release from the bonded zone to participate in the expo. Both the quantity and diversity of the exhibits have increased significantly compared to the previous edition.
Unlike ordinary goods, these exhibits in the cultural relics and artworks zone carry high value and demand exceptional care in packaging, transit, and storage. Customs has introduced customized regulatory services to ensure their safe and smooth delivery to the exhibition hall.
"We rely on the big data platform to connect all links of cargo declaration, pre-review and verification, and support the CIIE green channel with convenient measures such as dedicated staff and posts and appointment-based customs clearance," said Wang Ou, deputy chief of the Second Bonded Supervision Section of the Shanghai Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone Customs.
The ninth CIIE will be held in Shanghai from Nov 5 to 10. A total of 162 countries, regions and international organizations will take part, with 4,142 overseas companies exhibiting. The overall exhibition area for companies will exceed 370,000 square meters for the first time.
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.
Ninth CIIE expects 81 groups of cultural relics, artworks worth over 400 mln yuan
European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde stressed the importance of human control over the direction of artificial intelligence (AI) development in an interview with China Media Group in Bangkok, Thailand, earlier this month.
Lagarde has recently warned that Europe faces an extraordinary crisis, as it has fallen far behind the United States and China in AI models, computing power, and investment.
However, in the interview that aired on Friday, she placed greater emphasis on the risks AI poses to humanity as a whole rather than on the regional concern.
"Because I think that there is one particular element, which I strongly believe in. What? The developments that we are seeing as a result of artificial intelligence are so transformational, and gearing in such an independent direction with potential recursive development to artificial intelligence that I think that all of us -- meaning the United States, China, Europe, corporate as well as policymakers -- should be preoccupied by this development. And I see it as a priority that we all understand where this is going and what kind of control human beings like you and me continue to have on this development. I'm more concerned about that than about closing the gap," she said.
Lagarde expressed confidence in the outlook for Europe's AI development and urged efforts to better leverage the region's talent and financial resources.
"So on closing the gap, it's pretty obvious from all accounts -- and I'm not the ultimate expert on artificial intelligence -- but those who know are saying that the United States is ahead of the game, that China is shortly behind. [Compared with] those developments in the U.S., [Chinese developments are] operating on a different model -- less proprietary and more open source. And Europe is -- for some of the member states -- a distant third. So can we become less of a distant third and be a third but have some control and some operational innovation? I think that should be the case, because we should also be able to develop. We have bright minds, great schooling, money, but we don't put them together well," she said.
Lagarde also called for cooperation among different parts of the world, instead of the pursuit of sole dominance.
"I also think that artificial intelligence is a long chain of different segments. So you are hand in hand with others. You don't control the entire ecosystem," she said.
ECB president underscores importance of keeping AI development under control
ECB president underscores importance of keeping AI development under control
