A staff member tests robotic arms to be exhibited at the technical equipment exhibition area of the 8th China International Import Expo, Nov, 3. (Photo/Weng Qiyu)

From Nov. 5 to 10, 2025, the 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE) is being held as scheduled in Shanghai.

As a pioneering initiative in global trade development, the CIIE continues to showcase China's commitment to openness, retaining loyal participants while attracting new international engagement. This year's event features a record-high participation from 155 countries, regions, and international organizations. With 4,108 overseas enterprises exhibiting across more than 430,000 square meters of space, both metrics represent the highest levels in the expo's history.

For New Zealand's dairy company Theland, its leapfrog growth exactly began with the CIIE.

When the company first entered the Chinese market in 2017, it encountered a significant logistical challenge: its imported fresh milk arrived with only minimal remaining shelf life. With a product lifespan of just 15 days and customs clearance requiring 7 to 8 days, the milk neared expiration upon arrival. Ahead of the inaugural CIIE, Shanghai's Changning district launched a pilot program separating inspection from release procedures for imports, dramatically expediting customs processing. This reform enabled Theland's fresh milk to reach the CIIE venue from New Zealand in just 72 hours.

Since then, Theland has participated in every edition of the CIIE, achieving rapid expansion in China. Its fresh milk sales have increased 26-fold, with offline distribution now covering 25 provinces and online availability extending to over 90 percent of e-commerce platforms.

"Theland has grown alongside the CIIE. We have full confidence in both the Chinese market and the CIIE platform," said Roy van den Hurk, CEO of Milk New Zealand Dairy Limited.

Photo shows the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) in east China's Shanghai, the venue of the 8th China International Import Expo. (Photo/Wang Chu)

For participating companies, a shared belief has emerged: to grow with China is to grow with opportunity. In the first three quarters of this year, China's GDP grew by 5.2 percent year on year. The stability of China's high-quality economic growth provides both the confidence and foundation for China and the world to share development opportunities and pursue common progress.

Pursuing high-quality growth, China is unlocking vast new potential for cooperation in green, digital, and intelligent transformation. Over the past seven years, the CIIE has become a global stage for innovation, hosting numerous world, Asian, and China premieres of new products, technologies, and services. Behind this lies China's transition from serving as the "world's factory" to becoming a global "innovation lab". The 8th CIIE alone showcases 461 new offerings.

As Nicolas Hieronimus, CEO of L'Oréal Group, noted, "The CIIE provides us with precious certainty, showcasing China's firm commitment to high-level opening up and high-quality development."

Opportunities also stem from the certainty of China's super-sized market. Siemens of Germany has participated in every session of the CIIE, building a full value chain in China covering research and development, manufacturing, and services. U.S.-based Honeywell regards the CIIE as a one-stop platform to showcase technologies and solutions, debut flagship innovations, expand investment, and strengthen partnerships in China.

China's first tilt-rotor electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft is exhibited at the 8th China International Import Expo. (Photo/Weng Qiyu)

The first seven editions of the CIIE facilitated over $500 billion in intended transactions - a testament to its role in helping global businesses navigate market uncertainties through access to China's 1.4 billion consumers.

For 16 consecutive years, China has remained the world's second-largest import market. In the next decade, its middle-income population is expected to surpass 800 million, and its industrial supporting capacity will continue to strengthen. Globally, China means both market and opportunity, so much so that "investing in China is not optional, but essential" has become a strategic consensus among multinational corporations.

During the first nine months of this year, China approved the establishment of 48,921 new foreign-invested enterprises, representing a 16.2% year-on-year increase. Since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), China has attracted over $700 billion in foreign investment, with new foreign enterprises exceeding the previous five-year period by approximately 25,000. This robust growth underscores China's continued status as a leading global investment destination.

Since its inception, the CIIE has consistently provided dedicated support and preferential policies for the least developed countries (LDCs). This year, the special zone for African products has been further expanded and upgraded, ensuring that enterprises and products from all LDCs and 53 African countries with diplomatic ties with China can fully benefit from duty-free access. Participation by LDC-based enterprises grew by 23.5% year-on-year.

Through concrete actions, China is opening new doors of opportunity for the least developed and other developing countries. Increasingly, distinctive products from these nations are reaching broader international markets through the CIIE platform.

Amid significant disruptions to the international trade order and rising unilateralism and protectionism, China's hosting of the CIIE demonstrates its steadfast support for advancing constructive economic globalization.

China continues to deepen institutional openness through multiple channels: establishing new platforms like the CIIE, China International Consumer Products Expo, and China International Fair for Trade in Services; expanding pilot free trade zones and developing the Hainan Free Trade Port; shortening the foreign investment negative list; and extending unilateral visa exemptions to more countries. These efforts foster broader prospects for high-quality development through elevated openness.

During this era of profound changes unseen in a century, China maintains strategic stability through consistent policies, sustained economic growth, and clear development vision. This approach generates shared opportunities for global prosperity and collective progress.