The countdown for the Second China International Import Expo is displayed at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, July 28, 2019. (Photo: IC)

THE SECOND CHINA INTERNATIONAL IMPORT EXPO will be held in Shanghai on Nov 5, demonstrating the country's resolve to further open up. Xinhua News Comments:

The upcoming expo will be on a much larger scale than the first one held last year. Official statistics show that more than 3,000 enterprises from more than 150 countries and regions will participate in the expo, which will have an exhibition area of more than 300,000 square meters, and more new products and new technologies will be showcased.

As the world's first national exhibition focusing on imports, the China International Import Expo has been uniquely positioned from the very beginning. The expo aims to create new opportunities for enterprises from various countries and regions, satisfy Chinese citizens' new consumption demands and inject new development momentum into global trade. The expo manifests China's confidence in opening-up, cooperation and mutual benefits.

For many foreign enterprises, the expo represents a "green channel" for them to enter the Chinese market. Thanks to the first China International Import Expo last year, Italian home appliance manufacturers are successfully cooperating with Chinese e-commerce enterprises to explore the Chinese market. Latvian skin care products have entered China's gas station stores and e-commerce channels. And fresh fruit from Hawaii appeared in China's stores. And thanks to the first expo, the pace at which advanced foreign medical devices are entering China has accelerated.

The expo also allowed ordinary Chinese customers, even those that live in remote counties, to have access to famous international brand products.

In recent years trade protectionism has been on the rise, which poses great challenges to global free trade. Under such circumstances, the upcoming China International Import Expo sends a strong signal to the world that cooperation to realize mutual benefits is the right direction for global trade. The expo is therefore of great significance as it can help improve the global trade environment and boost global confidence in free trade.

The expo is not just part of China's efforts to help increase global demand but also a way to help the world build more and deeper economic and trade ties and demonstrate the importance of free trade to the world－highlighting it is the driving force of development.