The State Council Information Office held a press conference today (28th) to introduce the preparations for the 8th China International Import Expo and answer reporters’ questions.

In response to a question from a CCTV reporter, Vice Minister of Commerce Sheng Qiuping said that the CIIE is a major initiative by China to open its market to the world and a major initiative in the history of international trade development. In the face of profound changes in the global landscape, this CIIE will inject more certainty into the world with practical actions.

First, respond to the “uncertainty” of global demand with the “certainty” of China’s large market. The CIIE is a "big stage" for closely observing China's high-level opening up to the outside world, and it is also an "experience area" for immersing in the advantages of China's ultra-large market. The corporate exhibition area of ​​this CIIE exceeds 367,000 square meters, with 4,108 overseas companies from 138 countries and regions participating in the exhibition. The exhibition area of ​​American companies has ranked first for seven consecutive years. It reflects the international community's firm confidence in China's economy. China has been the world's second largest import market for 16 consecutive years. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China's imports of goods and services will exceed US$15 trillion. In the next decade or so, the number of middle-income people will exceed 800 million, and the potential of the ultra-large-scale market is huge. The CIIE is backed by China's large market. The cumulative intended transaction volume of the first seven sessions has exceeded 500 billion US dollars, helping companies from all over the world to jointly cope with the fluctuations in the international market. This is enough to demonstrate China's determination to share market opportunities.

Second, use the “certainty” of open cooperation to offset the “uncertainty” of the international cooperation environment. China's economy is a sea, not a small pond. Through the CIIE platform, we continue to promote open innovation such as trade and investment facilitation and intellectual property protection, create brands such as "Invest in China", "Buy in China" and "Export China", and provide a stable, transparent and predictable business environment for "exhibits to become commodities and exhibitors to investors". This year's Hongqiao Forum will carry out international discussions around trade restructuring, global South, multilateralism and other issues. The continued holding of the CIIE fully reflects the certainty that China will continue to promote a higher level of opening up.

Third, resolve the “uncertainty” of global development prospects with the “certainty” of mutual benefit and win-win results. The international participation in this CIIE is broader, deeper and more substantial. We provide support to exhibitors from 37 least developed countries by providing some free booths and preferential tax policies for exhibit purchase, and promote local specialty products to enter the Chinese market. This year, representatives from CIIE exhibitors visited the United Nations and shared their CIIE stories about their connection with the Chinese market. Among them is the story of Mamani, a Peruvian craftsman, who sold his alpaca dolls to China through the CIIE, helping more than 200 families in Peru get rid of poverty and become rich. This story has become a vivid footnote of the CIIE's contribution to the 2030 sustainable development agenda. We have promoted in-depth and practical cooperation and launched the international sister city joint exhibition and the "Charming Sister Cities" display area for the first time. These measures demonstrate that China is firm in its commitment to open cooperation and mutual benefit.

The 8th CIIE will prove with practical actions that China’s door to opening up will only open wider. We are willing to work with all parties to make the global market bigger, solidify the mechanism for shared development, and implement win-win cooperation, so as to inject more new impetus into world economic growth.