Views on CIIE from foreign perspective Day 1

RIA Novosti, Russia

Russian companies will show a wide range of innovative products at the upcoming 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, Russia's trade representative in China Alexei Dakhnovsky said recently.

In particular, the debut of the Tinger all-terrain vehicle from the Russian company Mekhanika will take place within the framework of the CIIE and a great interest of Chinese consumers is expected in car oils of the Lukoil brand, Dakhnovsky said. Russian companies will be present at a total of 32 booths at the opening exhibition on November 5, said Dakhnovsky, adding that 22 stands will be dedicated to food and agricultural products while 7 stands will be placed in the theme pavilion "Consumer Goods" and 3 booths will be in the "Automobiles" area.

Sixteen Russian companies will take part in the Expo online and 15 will be present on-site.

The Economist, Mexico

Local products made by micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the state are seeking to make inroads into the Asian market, particularly the Chinese market. Given this, eight Queretaro MSMEs will be part of the Mexican representation that will participate in the CIIE. Although Queretaro's commercial exchange with China is incipient, the objective is to promote the internationalization of local MSMEs and their exposure to this market, said the Secretary of Sustainable Development (Sedesu), Marco Antonio del Prete Tercero. Querétaro currently contributes only 3 percent of exports to China, with Chihuahua being the largest exporter to the Asian country.

Aju Business Daily, South Korea

Investors in the China's stock market this week (November 1-5) are expected to pay keen attention to some of the major events such as Double 11 Shopping Festival (similar to Black Friday) and China International Import Expo (CIIE), ChiNEXT Index in October, and the latest situation of COVID-19 in China.

President Xi attended the CIIE opening ceremony in person in 2018 and 2019, where he emphasized China's role as a guardian of free trade and multilateralism in the international community. Last year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the CIIE opening ceremony was held the day after the US presidential election.

Xi declared a further step to open up through a video speech.

This year, President Xi will also attend the CIIE opening ceremony through a video speech.

The Business Times, Singapore

The Singapore Business Federation (SBF) is leading a delegation of 45 companies from Singapore to the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE), held from November 5 to 10 in Shanghai.

The Singapore pavilion will showcase products and services in sectors such as logistics, transportation, finance and healthcare. The SBF delegation also includes companies in sectors such as urban solutions, novel food products and supplements, as well as health and personal care.

At the last CIIE in 2020, Singapore businesses secured more than 21,000 business leads and achieved more than S$1.7 million in confirmed sales; more than S$5.3 million of sales were under negotiation, and there was a pipeline of more than S$103 million expected over the following year, said the SBF.

SBF chairman Lim Ming Yan said: "China remains a top priority market for Singapore businesses, and CIIE is a key platform for them to connect with new customers and suppliers to diversify and expand their business."

This year, approximately 60 per cent of exhibitors are repeat participants, such as shipping line Pacific International Lines. First-time participants include artificial intelligence (AI) tech firm Easy M Smart Technologies, which focuses on AI-powered vending machines.

Ammon News, UK

John Edwards, British trade commissioner for China, said that the China International Import Expo has been "a huge platform" for British businesses.

He added that the platform was seen as "a wonderful opportunity for us to showcase some of the most innovative technologies the UK has to offer."

Edwards also added that the UK was "able to use CIIE as a way to bring in about 150 new British companies into the China market, mostly through cross border e-commerce."

He indicated that China surpassed Germany as Britain's biggest single import market in the first quarter (Q1) of 2021.

Lusaka Times, Zambia

Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Li Jie said his country is committed to supporting developing countries such as Zambia, in their struggle to safeguard sovereignty, security and developmental interests. Meanwhile, Li announced that President Hakainde Hichilema has been invited to attend the CIIE.

"President Hichilema will attend the 4th CIIE online and is also expected to deliver a speech. The gesture will help Zambia's quality products enter China. We hope that the Zambian side takes the CIIE as an opportunity and further increase export to China by making use of China's preferential treatment of Zambian products," he said.

(Compiled by Wang Siyi, Yi Luojing, Ye Jia, Zhang Yujue, Lu Yanjun and Qiu Shaomin from Shanghai International Studies University.)