Xi steers CIIE into global platform for sharing China's development opportunities

Chinese President Xi Jinping has attached great importance to the China International Import Expo (CIIE) since its inception back in 2018, steering the annual event into a showcase of China's new development paradigm, a platform for high-standard opening-up, and a public good for the whole world.

The ninth edition of the CIIE is set to be held from Nov 5 to 10 at the four-leaf-clover-shaped National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, bringing together exhibitors from all around the world.

After being conceived and personally promoted by the Chinese president, the CIIE was launched in 2018 as the world's first national-level import-themed expo and is seen as the embodiment of Xi's vision of opening up.

At the opening ceremony of the very first CIIE, Xi stressed that China's door will never be closed, vowing that it will only open wider and wider.

In the years since, Xi has pledged to continue expanding opening up, sharing development opportunities, and promoting economic globalization, giving a clear signal to the world of China's commitment to opening up.

"As for China, we will not change our resolve to open wider at a high standard; we will not change our determination to share development opportunities with the rest of the world; and we will not change our commitment to an economic globalization that is more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial for all," said Xi in a keynote speech delivered via video link at the opening ceremony of the 4th CIIE in 2021.

Over the years, the CIIE has played a key role in China's efforts of opening up market opportunities, fostering long-term economic cooperation and facilitating international exchanges.

According to China's Ministry of Commerce, this year's expo is expected to attract over 4,100 overseas exhibitors from 148 countries and regions, including more than 2,000 first-time exhibitors. Overall, representatives from 162 countries, regions and international organizations will participate. The total exhibition area has also expanded year after year, with the 2026 edition set to exceed 440,000 square meters.

For regular participants, the growing scale of the event represents not just another opportunity to do business but also a platform to forge something much deeper in terms of boosting ties with their Chinese partners.

"This year marks my seventh time participating in the CIIE. I first came to Shanghai for the third edition of the expo in 2020. I started with a 9-square-meter booth. At that time, I already felt the scale of China's vast market. This year, I have a 72-square-meter space. It's not just about selling products; it's also an opportunity to promote the cultures of both our countries, which I think is wonderful," said Frank, a Nepalese businessman.

"It's a wide exhibition for connecting with the world. You see now the importance of CIIE is even bigger now. It's important for many countries around the world to increase the sales to China. So I think we hope there'll be even more open door in the future," said Per Linden, president of the Nordic Hub Trade Association.

The CIIE has become a fixture on the global trade calendar, helping China expand imports and further open up its massive market to the world, forming an integral part of the country's drive to open its market wider and support a more open world economy.

Xi's vision of opening up and in promoting the CIIE aims to ensure more countries can share in the fruits of China's development, fostering growth and delivering wider benefits.

"We should commit ourselves to openness to meet development challenges, foster synergy for cooperation, build the momentum of innovation, and deliver benefits to all. We should steadily advance economic globalization, enhance every country's dynamism of growth, and provide all nations with greater and fairer access to the fruits of development," Xi said via video at the opening ceremony of the 5th CIIE in 2022.

This year's six-day CIIE is set to take place under the theme of "New Era, Shared Future", further highlighting Xi's vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Xi steers CIIE into global platform for sharing China's development opportunities

Teams competing in the climbing event on Mount Tai in Tai'an City of east China's Shandong Province took the race as a valuable real-world testing ground to evaluate their robots' power, balance and autonomous perception capability.

The inaugural China Media Group (CMG) World Robot Mount Tai Challenge on Monday drew nearly 90 teams. The competition was divided into two main categories of speed races and specialized events, with five events in total for different robot forms, including humanoid, quadruped, and exoskeleton.

Competitors tackled the 3.9-kilometer ancient stone path from Hongmen to Zhongtianmen -- ascending more than 3,100 steps with an elevation gain of nearly 640 meters, while the morning mist and moss added extra layers of difficulty.

A humanoid robot developed by VSISLAB of Shandong University's School of Control Science and Engineering struggled at the start on the rugged terrain.

"At the beginning, there is a very steep section, which narrows to just 18 or 19 centimeters in width at its tightest point. The robot made two attempts to pass it, and it did not fall over," said Li Zhongzheng, a student of the university.

The team successfully finished the race and placed eighth.

The Beijing Lingyi Technology, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics, won the quadruped robot speed race. Its robots completed the demanding climb with a steady, mechanical ascent over uneven steps, stone ridges and narrow mountain paths.

"We have four robotic dogs in the competition. They secured both the first and second place in the racing event, as well as the second place in the weight-carrying event," said Chen Xiyun, leader of the Beijing Lingyi Technology Team.

For many participants, the event provided a rare opportunity to test their models in real-world scenarios, enabling products to improve more quickly than through laboratory trials alone.

"From a technical standpoint, there are many goals for us to pursue. I hope our team can continue to climb higher, step by step, just as the robots did during this competition," said Wang Jian, engineer of the Norinco Intelligent Innovation Research Institute (Shenzhen) Company.

Robots test their limits at Mount Tai climbing competition