The just-opened China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai offers a window into the country's efforts to deepen global trade ties, as the increasing number of international participants in the annual expo eye up new business opportunities brought by China's continued opening-up.
The ninth CIIE, which kicked off in the east China metropolis on Thursday and will run through Tuesday, has attracted 4,142 overseas exhibitors, including more than 300 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders. Over 480 exhibits are set to make their global, Asian or China debuts at the 2026 event, the highest number in its history.
Launched in 2018 as the world's first import-themed national-level expo, the CIIE has increasingly served as a testing ground for new measures to advance China's high-standard opening-up, as well as a platform for putting China's broader opening-up policies into practice.
In a speech at the opening ceremony of the 9th CIIE on Thursday, Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang reaffirmed the country's commitment to further opening-up.
"By the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) , China's annual retail sales of consumer goods are expected to reach around 60 trillion yuan, while the size of its service sector is projected to exceed 100 trillion yuan. We will unswervingly expand high-standard opening up and sincerely welcome businesses from around the world to invest in China," he said.
China has been the world's second-largest import market for 17 consecutive years, while its imports continue to grow, with the total value rising just over 22 percent year on year in the first three quarters of 2026. This growth creates opportunities for the rest of the world to tap into.
Speaking at the CIIE's opening ceremony, Austrian Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker stressed his belief that economic cooperation will continue to deepen.
"I am convinced that economic exchange creates opportunities, prosperity, and mutual understanding. Austrian and Chinese companies have built meaningful partnerships over many years. We want to further foster this positive dynamic and make our relations more resilient," said Stocker.
For global businesses, China's appeal goes beyond its vast market size, as the changing retail habits and characteristics of Chinese consumers present another source of opportunity.
"Chinese consumers [are] very, very diversified. So previously there are many consumers with many needs, but now even one consumer wants to have different needs. In that case, there are a lot of opportunities," said Toshinobu Umetsu, CEO of Japanese cosmetics brand Shiseido's China and Travel Retail Region.
Growing scale of annual import expo highlights China's vast market, opening-up commitment
From befriending Chinese international students at the University of Melbourne to joining a Mandarin learning club and attending the Canton Fair, China's oldest and largest trade event, in Guangzhou, southern China's Guangdong Province, 19-year-old Mohammad Awwady has developed a growing interest in China and its business environment.
A finance and marketing student, Awwady said his first trip to the country offered a firsthand look at its manufacturing capabilities, business opportunities and technological progress, one that challenged the perceptions he had formed through Western media.
Awwady now sees China as a significant hub for commerce and entrepreneurship. He was particularly impressed by the work ethic, friendliness and open-mindedness of the people he met. Reflecting on his first visit, he highlighted the dynamic business environment and work ethic he witnessed.
"It was my first ever time going to China. I ended up seeing many events that were related to business. I saw the work ethic, I saw the different cultures that inspired the sort of growth that China is [achieving] today. It is where the majority of the world's best trading is occurring. It is where the best manufacturing is occurring, and it is where a lot of the business relationships (are formed) that provide the most progress and advancements in terms of technology, in terms of infrastructure. That is where China is, and so I see China as a very big opportunity, now and in the future in terms of where commerce can go," he said.
He further explained how the reality on the ground differed significantly from the Western media narratives he had previously encountered.
"So before traveling to China, I did have somewhat of an understanding that the society in China was ahead in terms of business, in terms of technology, regulations. However, I was somewhat misled by some of the sources of media that are in the West. However, upon going there, I actually ended up viewing things in a much more different manner, and I was able to see that there were a lot of different occurrences and affairs that really weren't as they were [made] out to be in the Western media. Chinese people were very welcoming, they were very friendly. And they were very open-minded to hearing about the ideas that I could have to share. It's something that sparks a lot of innovation. It sparks a lot of progress. It sparks the sort of competitiveness that you see in terms of how far ahead China is," he said.
Comparing China to the many other countries he has visited, Awwady expressed his amazement at the country's advanced operations and his willingness to return.
"I'm definitely amazed and shocked by the way that China operates, the way that the business is available there it's in a way that I've never seen throughout all the countries that I've visited. And for a person my age, I've visited quite a lot of countries, but none of them were as advanced as what China was. And I'm definitely open to going back and visiting China once again," he said.
Drawing on his own journey, he recommends that young entrepreneurs discover China for themselves rather than rely on second-hand impressions.
"The advice that I would give young entrepreneurs, especially when it comes to China, is to go see it for yourself before making any assumptions. Because there are a lot of misconceptions, a lot of that is a result of the media that is present and prevalent. When you go see the work ethic, when you go see how friendly, open-minded, how proactive they are and advanced in terms of the designing of things, in terms of the systems that are embedded in all of their operations, you really see a different perspective if you just see it for yourself," he said.
Australian student on China's business opportunities, firsthand impressions
