The 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE) wrapped up in Shanghai on Tuesday with records across the board, closing as the largest and most fruitful edition yet.
The six-day event brought together 162 countries, regions and international organizations, with showcases spanning more than 440,000 square meters, the largest footprint in the expo's history.
A record of more than 4,100 exhibitors filled the halls, among them over 300 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders, while nearly 500 exhibits made their global, Asian or Chinese debuts. At a press briefing following the event, Xiao Lu, deputy director of the CIIE Bureau, said key indicators, among them the number of exhibitors and the total exhibition area, had all reached record levels this year. She also highlighted the strong business outcomes.
"The intended transaction volume, calculated on a one-year basis, reached 85.45 billion U.S. dollars, up 2.3 percent from the previous edition. The expo successfully achieved its expected goals of being safe, successful, splendid and fruitful," said Xiao.
Beyond the exhibition floor, the expo drew stronger attendance than last year, bringing together 51 trade delegations and more than 470,000 registered visitors.
Over the course of the event, 80 supporting activities facilitated over 4,000 rounds of business matchmaking and negotiations, while 62 collective signing sessions produced more than 400 cooperation agreements and letters of intent.
"At CIIE we've met with people that are interested in distributing our products in the UK, in Europe and Italy and other purchasers [from] Brazil, Argentina," said a Canadian exhibitor.
Worldwide interest is already shaping the expo's next chapter, as preparations for the 10th edition get underway with more than 140 companies and institutions booking some 100,000 square meters of exhibition space. "[We will reserve] a larger booth [at the next CIIE], with the aim of establishing a better connection with Chinese consumers," said another exhibitor.
Launched in 2018, the CIIE is the world's first national-level expo dedicated to import, and has become an important gateway for foreign businesses seeking access to China's vast consumer and industrial markets.
9th CIIE concludes with record deal volume, all-time high metrics
9th CIIE concludes with record deal volume, all-time high metrics
The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and China Global Television Network (CGTN) have hosted a side event on green transition at the 31st meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Antalya, Türkiye.
Titled "Global Open Class: Green Transition in Action" and held at the China Pavilion, the event brought together experts for a roundtable discussion on global climate action.
The roundtable explored how technology, leadership and communication can accelerate the green transition, and how China's experience can be adapted to the needs of different countries.
The event featured the release of four practical guides drawing on Chinese sustainable development cases and the launch of two global capacity-development initiatives. The guides addressed smart mobility, rural circular economies, climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction, among other areas.
Participants also watched the trailer for CGTN's new documentary film Path to Zero, which explores how China is changing the way it powers daily life, how its industries operate and how communities care for the places they call home.
He Guojun, director of the Jockey Club Enterprise Sustainability Global Research Institute at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), said that reliable data are essential for effective environmental action.
"First, how to address the information problem, where you need basically a monitoring network that covers almost everything, so that you have air quality monitoring, water quality monitoring, soil quality monitoring, and they have to cover all the sectors. Having that information is fundamental," said He.
Michael Adalla, senior program officer of UNITAR's Division for Prosperity, said the "Global Open Class: Green Transition in Action" side event created a space to share expertise and insights.
"The open classroom that we have done today (Nov 9), the global open classroom, has been very well received as part of sharing of ideas, sharing of expertise, sharing insights. And this is a basis of what we could provide with the developing countries," said Adalla.
Adalla also stressed that a key focus must be human capital.
"It's important to build skills at the individual level, build skills at the capacity level. The most sustainable investment is to empower people to bring knowledge into action," said Adalla.
Special event on green transition held at COP31
