China International Import Expo a win-win for the globe

Looking back on the first three sessions of the China International Import Expo, it was created from scratch and developed into a key platform for enterprises from all around the world to seek business opportunities in the Chinese market and a stage for expanding international collaboration.

The expo, designed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, is the world's first import expo held at the national level, an innovation in the history of global trade.

It has also become a magnet for exhibitors to debut their new products, technologies, and services, with dozens of new exhibits released at the expo every year, including some making their debut in the Asia Pacific region or even their global premieres.

The opening ceremony of the expo, at which President Xi has delivered a keynote speech each year, has also been under the spotlight.

At the first CIIE, Xi announced three major decisions to capitalize on the important role of Shanghai and other areas in China's opening-up – expanding the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone to include a new section, launching a science and technology innovation board at the Shanghai Stock Exchange, an experimental registration system for listed companies, and supporting the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region.

Then at the second session Xi placed emphasis on openness and cooperation for a shared future, pledging to ease market access, counter protectionism, and boost economic globalization.

As for the third session last year, when the world was striving for economic and social recovery from the shock of COVID-19, Xi said China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) would aim to foster a new developmental paradigm with the domestic market as the mainstay and the domestic and international markets reinforcing each other.

Xi stressed nurturing new pacesetters, growing foreign trade in innovative ways, improving the business environment, and deepening bilateral, multilateral, and regional cooperation.

"Acting as a major platform for international procurement, for investment promotion, for cultural exchange, and for open cooperation, the CIIE is now an international public good for the world to share," he said.

"Our aim is to turn the China market into a market for the world, a market shared by all, and a market accessible to all."

This year, Xi reaffirmed China's determination of steadfastly advancing high-level opening-up at a moment marking the 20th anniversary of China's entry into the World Trade Organization.

The president called for grasping the prevailing development trend of economic globalization, supporting all countries in further opening-up, opposing unilateralism and protectionism and pushing for a brighter future for humankind.