CIIE preparations gain pace as arrival of inbound exhibits jumps

As the 5th China International Import Expo (CIIE) approaches, Shanghai officials are stepping up their final preparations, and inbound exhibits are being transported to the city, such as spices from Thailand, amber from Greece, and electric vehicles and robots from South Korea.

As of Friday, China Eastern Airlines had carried 105 exhibits weighing a total of 17,851 kilograms, thepaper.com reported. According to the report, Shanghai customs set up a green channel as well as a special services window for CIIE exhibits to provide convenient and efficient customs clearance service.

For example, when airline workers are notified of the arrival of amber, they take the wooden case for the exhibit to a specific warehouse via the green channel. After disinfection, it will be delivered to a special valuables warehouse, the Airlines said.

The China-Europe freight train has also become a popular choice of transportation for companies attending the CIIE. "Jinbo" China-Europe freight trains left Hamburg, Germany in September, carrying exhibits including automotive parts, mechanical components and concentrated cleaning fluids for the expo.

The CIIE is scheduled to be held from November 5 to 10 in Shanghai. The exhibition area has expanded from 270,000 square meters in the first session to 366,000 square meters this year, and the number of exhibitors remains at about 3,000.

More than 280 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry-leading enterprises have confirmed their participation in the event this year, with nearly 90 percent of the participants from last year returning this year. Nearly 600 sub-groups from a total of 39 government trade groups and nearly 100 sub-groups from four industrial trade groups will participate in the event.

For instance, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc, a world leader in serving science, said in a press release on the company's WeChat account that it will exhibit over 70 cutting-edge products, with eight new products making their debut in China.

CIIE is the world's first national-level exhibition focused on imports. Since 2018, the fair has been held on four occasions, fully demonstrating the determination of China to open up its market to the world.

The country will release the sixth list of major foreign investment projects and further expand the 2022 industry catalog of sectors encouraging foreign investment as part of its latest efforts to advance high-level opening-up, Zhao Chenxin, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a news conference last week.

More policy measures to spur foreign investment in terms of quality and quantity will be released, with a focus on manufacturing, Zhao said.

China will unwaveringly expand its all-around, high-level opening-up and push for economic globalization that is more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all, he said.