Annual CIIE opens in Shanghai, highlighting 'opportunity,' 'openness' and 'market' for global companies

On Thursday morning, in the waiting lounge of the opening ceremony of the 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, two hours before the ceremony began, the guests had already begun arriving.

They took selfies, chatted, posed for group photos with old friends and gave interviews to the media. According to on-site observations by the Global Times, in the relaxing atmosphere, the words they mentioned most were "opportunity," "openness" and "market."

Running from Thursday to next Tuesday, this year's CIIE has attracted 4,142 overseas exhibitors, with a total exhibition area exceeding 440,000 square meters. Over 480 exhibits are set to make their global, Asian or China debut at the event, the highest number in history.

US exhibitors occupy more than 50,000 square meters, leading for the eighth consecutive year, while companies from Germany, the UK and France also rank among the top participants.

Jim Sutter, CEO of the US Soybean Export Counci, is among the first batch of representatives of American soybean exporters.

"We've been doing work in China since 1982, so 44 years history here. And I think the CIIE has become such a big event, and it's just something you can't miss. If you're doing business in China, you need to be at the CIIE," Sutter told the Global Times.

"China is number one of buying power across the world, so it's extremely important for the US to continue to sell into China, "Andrew Moore, director of the American Soybean Association, told the Global Times.

Valuing the Chinese market and embracing new cooperation opportunities is a shared sentiment among many representatives present.

"China is an important partner and it is also very important for us…If Chinese customers can find on their shelves in the supermarket and the somewhere else the good Ukrainian products and technology, it would be very nice and very important. It means cooperation is a very high level," Gennadiy Chyzhykov, president of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told the Global Times.

"China is a very, a very good market for Moldova products. Moldova is a big wine producer. We have the biggest wine sellers in the world, and we hope to have a bigger market in China to sell this wine and to have Chinese consumers buy a wine. So why not give Chinese consumers more choice in regards to this?" said Eugeniu Osmochescu, Minister for Agriculture and Food Industry of the Republic of Moldova.

"China accounts for 30 percent of Shiseido's global market share, and China is one of the most important markets for us. With 45 years presence in China, we are continuing to bring new innovations here. We deeply understand Chinese consumers and will identify opportunities to create together with local Chinese consumers," said Toshinobu Umetsu, CEO of Shiseido China and Travel Retail Region.

A report released by Beijing Normal University and the China Association for International Trade on Wednesday said China's position as an important export destination for countries around the world is becoming increasingly prominent.

From 2001 to 2025, the share of global exports to China in total global exports showed an overall steady upward trend, rising from 3.91 percent in 2001 to 10.49 percent in 2024. In 2025, the share of global exports to China in total global exports was 9.79 percent. It exceeded 9 percent for the first time in 2010 and has generally remained above 10.5 percent since 2018. This indicates that China's status as a major global export destination continues to be consolidated, the report said.

"CIIE is important to learn about what the Chinese market needs and also to identify what are the things that developing countries can do to access the Chinese market. So my expectations for next year is that this company continues to grow and that more countries can participate in the Chinese market," Luz Ma de la Mora, director of UNCTAD's Division on International Trade and Commodities, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"Chinese companies can also help developing countries to integrate into their supply chains, not only for the market Chinese market, but also for the global markets," Mora said.