Shanghai: The China International Import Expo (CIIE) has served as an important bridge linking China with the world, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said while delivering a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the eighth CIIE and the Hongqiao International Economic Forum on Wednesday in Shanghai.
According to Emirates News Agency, as China's first international exhibition with import as its theme, the event this year sets a new record in scale. "For this year's event, more than 4,100 enterprises from more than 150 countries and regions (and international organisations) across the world are participating, and the exhibition area exceeds over 367,000 square meters. These record numbers fully demonstrate the vibrancy and dynamism of China's enormous market," said the premier.
"Five years ago in Shanghai, at the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the development and opening up of Pudong, President Xi Jinping noted that the Chinese economy is like a vast ocean, and so is the world economy. The world, the seas and the oceans are all interconnected. As a showcase of China's new pattern of development, a platform with high-standard opening up and a public good for the world, the CIIE serves both as an estuary through which the global economy flows into the Chinese economy, and an important bridge that links China with the world," he said.
This year's event, running till Monday, features 461 new products, technologies, and services, highlighting future industries like the low-altitude economy, humanoid robots, AI, and green low-carbon innovation.