The opening ceremony of the third China International Import Expo (CIIE) was held in Shanghai on Wednesday night with Chinese President Xi Jinping delivering a keynote speech via video link.

Xi said hosting of the expo this year demonstrates China's sincere desire to share its market opportunities with the world and contribute to global economic recovery amid the pandemic. 

"The CIIE is now an international public good for the world to share, acting as a major platform for international procurement, investment promotion, cultural exchange and open cooperation," Xi said.  

Scheduled from November 5 to 10, CIIE is the first dedicated import exhibition in the world.

The expo's total exhibition area has been expanded by 30,000 square meters, covering six major exhibition sections, including medicine and healthcare, automobiles and trade services.

Both online and offline exhibitions have been arranged this year in light of the concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Click here for the full text of Xi's speech

China's opening-up measures fully implemented

Xi said the opening-up measures he announced at last year's CIIE have been fully implemented.

The items on the national negative list for foreign investment have been cut from 40 to 33, he said. The number of China's pilot free trade zones has increased from 18 to 21 over the past year, he added. 

"China has taken steady steps to expand imports, with imports of goods and services outpacing the global average over the past year."

Trend of cooperation unchanged

Noting the instability and uncertainty posed by the ravaging pandemic, Xi reassured the world China's stance on cooperation. 

"The overwhelming trend for countries to move toward openness and cooperation remains unchanged." 

Solidarity and cooperation are the right choices to make in meeting challenges. "We must uphold the principle of mutually beneficial cooperation," he said.

Moreover, Xi offered support from China and its people to the international community. 

China had provided assistance to 150 countries and seven international organizations in fighting COVID-19 as of October 20. In addition, over 179 billion masks, 1.73 billion protective suits and 543 million testing kits have been exported in the global fight. 

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China's all-round opening up

Xi also announced new measures for furthering China's opening-up, saying the aim is to turn China's market into "a market for the world, a market shared by all, and a market accessible to all."

He said China will nurture new pacesetters of opening-up and continue to leverage the pioneering role of pilot free trade zones and free trade ports in steering the opening-up process. 

The country will pursue creative ways to grow foreign trade and continue to support companies from around the world in exploring business opportunities in China.

"China will encourage cross-border e-commerce and other new business forms and models to grow even quicker and foster new drivers of foreign trade. China will shorten its catalog of technologies prohibited or restricted from import to create a favorable environment for the free flow of technologies across borders," Xi said. 

Business environment will be furthered improved in terms of foreign-related legal framework and services. 

Xi also pledged that China will pursue deeper bilateral, multilateral and regional cooperation and work for the early signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

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China will continue to open its vast consumer market to the world: Xi