Record number of product debuts at CIIE highlights China’s emerging role as innovation hub
Visitors watch a robot tea ceremony performance in the China Pavilion at the 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai on November 5, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)
"Show China your best." That is the invitation the ninth China International Import Expo (CIIE) extends to the world. The response? More than 480 products and technologies making their global, Asian or China debuts, from 6G device prototypes and AI computing systems to innovative medicines, luxury skincare and fragrances - a vibrant showcase of global innovation meeting the energy of China's vast consumer market that is more open to new products and ideas.
For global companies, the CIIE is more than a showcase for new products. It is a window into China - one that opens onto a vast consumer market, an evolving innovation landscape and expanding opportunities for international cooperation. What comes through that window is not just a flow of goods, but a deeper exchange of ideas, technologies and opportunities.
At Qualcomm's booth in the Technology and Equipment Exhibition Area, visitors are lining up to see what the US chipmaker describes as the world's first 6G device prototype compliant with the latest 3GPP specifications. Making its global debut at the expo, the prototype is among the booth's main attractions.
Another new arrival is the large-model-native agent phone STEPX Neo, which integrates applications and services including Alipay, Jianying (CapCut) and Trip.com. Its combination of hardware, software and AI models points to how AI agents could become more closely integrated into everyday mobile services.
Intel is taking a different approach to the AI boom, focusing on where computing power is generated and how it is supplied. Its CIIE debut is a computing solution that places computing clusters inside shipping containers, with flexible energy storage modules, allowing them to operate closer to renewable energy sources.
"Rather than bringing electricity to computing centers, it makes more sense to move computing clusters closer to where the electricity is generated," Intel China Chairman Wang Zhicong told the Global Times.
The solution, first conceived as an idea at last year's expo, combines computing power, renewable energy and storage, with Chinese energy and IT companies involved in its development.
The exhibits are not confined to technology and equipment. In healthcare, Roche is presenting nearly 100 debut and first-show exhibits, including innovative medicines for breast cancer, lupus nephritis and other diseases. Boehringer Ingelheim is showcasing 14 innovative pipeline products and solutions in human pharmaceuticals and animal health, with three therapies at the forefront of global R&D making their China debut.
Both companies are also looking to deepen their engagement with China's medical innovation ecosystem. Vivian Bian, CEO of Roche Pharma China, told the Global Times that Roche will take the CIIE as an important fulcrum for open cooperation, continue to increase its local investment, and deeply integrate into China's medical innovation ecosystem.
Ioannis Sapountzis, president and CEO of Boehringer Ingelheim China, told the Global Times that with a vibrant innovation ecosystem, strong scientific capabilities, a highly skilled talent pool, and strong scientific research capabilities, China is playing an increasingly important role in global pharmaceutical innovation and bringing new ideas and new opportunities to the global healthcare industry.
For consumers, some of the most visible new offerings are in beauty and personal care. L'Oreal is introducing five new brands to China, including high-end skincare label Skinbetter Science and luxury fragrance house Creed, alongside its AI-powered K-Scan scalp analyzer. Estée Lauder is making a global debut of its Mastering Longevity scientific innovation platform, while Shiseido is presenting more than 60 debut products.
In luxury accessories, Kering-owned eyewear brand LINDBERG is unveiling its limited-edition 2027 Year of the Sheep collection globally. Swiss company IQAir is bringing a new product to the home environment with the debut of its flagship Atem Earth Plus air purifier, featuring innovations in both cabinet materials and filter structure.
"This year marks IQAir's 7th consecutive appearance at the CIIE, and our 6th consecutive year launching new products at the event. China has become IQAir's second-largest and most dynamic market globally," Frank Hammes, global CEO of IQAir, told the Global Times.
Behind the global debuts at the CIIE lies a broader opportunity: China's growing appetite for high-quality imports, from advanced technologies and innovative medicines to premium consumer goods.
This demand offers international companies not only access to a vast consumer market but also opportunities to deepen cooperation with Chinese partners in manufacturing, research and development, and product innovation, Bian Yongzu, executive deputy editor-in-chief of Modernization of Management magazine, told the Global Times. "For global businesses, China is increasingly more than a destination for finished products. It is also a market where new ideas can be conceived and implemented, products refined, and partnerships built," Bian said.