Preparations underway for highly anticipated global trade event, say organizers

The fourth China International Import Expo, which marked its 100-day countdown on Tuesday, is set to create more opportunities for global businesses with its professional and high-standard services.

The 2021 CIIE will be held at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre (Shanghai) from Nov 5 to 10. So far, preparations for the 2021 expo are in full swing, the CIIE Bureau, the expo's organizer, said.

The fourth CIIE will include a business exhibition, a country exhibition, the Hongqiao International Economic Forum and a number of supporting activities and events.

The business exhibition will feature six areas－food and agricultural products, automobiles, intelligent industry and information technology, consumer goods, medical equipment and healthcare products, and trade in services.

Progress is being made in terms of preparations, with recruiting purchasers and organizing the exhibition the focus currently, said Sun Chenghai, deputy director-general of the CIIE Bureau.

According to Sun, the combined number of Fortune 500 companies and industrial pacesetters taking part exceeds that of the 2020 edition, with more than 80 percent of them repeat exhibitors and more than 30 of them first-time participants.

So far, the booked area for the business exhibition has reached 360,000 square meters.

A large number of new products, technologies and services will make their worldwide or national debuts at this year's expo, according to the CIIE Bureau.

To serve the country's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) and China's 2035 long-term development vision, the CIIE organizers have set up subsections covering fields such as energy saving, environmental protection technologies, biomedicine, smart transportation and intelligent household appliances.

Subsections dedicated to serving innovation incubation will also be set up in the exhibition areas of intelligent industry and information technology, medical equipment and healthcare products and automobiles to connect foreign innovation resources with the Chinese market.

A subsection to showcase products from Central and Eastern European countries will be added to the fourth expo.

Apart from establishing subsections to better showcase cutting-edge technologies and services, more special committees under the CIIE Enterprise Alliance have been established to strengthen industrial communication.

The CIIE Enterprise Alliance was established during the inaugural CIIE in 2018.

Initiated by exhibitors, the setup is a platform for global enterprises to carry out cooperation, share information and resources, and contribute to promoting trade cooperation between China and other countries.

The first two special committees under the CIIE Enterprises Alliance, focusing on dairy and public health and epidemic prevention, were established in July 2020.

So far, 13 special committees of the expo across different sectors, including agricultural products, green and smart home appliances, low-carbon energy and environmental protection, dairy, industrial digital transformation, smart supply chain, daily consumer products, sports and agricultural products, have been launched from 2020 onwards, according to the CIIE Bureau.

The committees act as platforms for communication between governments and businesses and play a vital role in enhancing collaboration in the sectors for innovation.

They also play a leading role in driving local economic development. Two special committees have organized activities in Qingdao and Beijing, receiving positive feedback.

The establishment of special committees and subsections has received the thumbs-up from global exhibitors.

"The subsection of public health and epidemic prevention set up last year has greatly contributed to pushing the conversation around and perfecting public health emergency management in China and worldwide," said Wu Kun, chief operating officer of Pfizer Biopharmaceuticals Group. Pfizer is the chair of the special committee for public health and epidemic prevention.

"We very much look forward to working closely with colleagues to explore the new paths for industry development, promote the philosophy of sustainability, drive global economic recovery and put effort into realizing the long-term goal of Healthy China 2030."

On July 26, a special committee for the?medical equipment industry was set up, which included 43 industry leading players, such as Medtronic, GE Healthcare, Siemens Healthineers and Boston Scientific.

"We hope the special committee can become an innovation platform and support more innovative products to enter the Chinese market at a faster pace," said Deng Jianmin, global senior vice-president of BD Medical, the chair of the special committee for the medical equipment industry. "Since the medical industry has its unique characteristics, we will also explore and create new paths to promote industry innovation and development."

The spillover effect of the CIIE gives companies more business opportunities, said Tony Chan, vice-president of Abbott's medical equipment diagnostics business in China.

According to the company, it will display medical equipment and diagnostic solutions at its 630-sq-m exhibition space.

Chan said the company will leverage the special committee it is a member of to partner with more industry players to promote innovation and introduce more cutting-edge technologies into the Chinese market.

In addition to inviting more professional visitors from different sectors, the CIIE Bureau has arranged a series of activities for the enterprise alliances and special committees.

Starting in early July, matchmaking events for industries including consumer goods and agricultural products have been organized. There will be further events to be held in August.

The CIIE Bureau has released information about exhibits on its official platforms to give purchasers a better understanding of exhibitors prior to the event.

The CIIE Bureau hosts a news conference to introduce preparations of the 2021 edition. GAO ERQIANG/CHINA DAILY