The fifth China International Import Expo (CIIE) — the country's first major international exhibition since the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, came to the end on Thursday.

CIIE 2022 in numbers

Hundreds of new products, technologies, and services were showcased at the fair in this gigantic exhibition hall covering more than 300,000 square meters. A total of 284 Fortune Global 500 and leading companies were present at the business exhibition, with a return rate of nearly 90 percent and the special booth rate of 96.6 percent (special booth refers to the designed booth for the exhibition). 

Highlighting that China is pursuing high-quality opening-up, this year's CIIE attracted 145 countries, regions, and international organizations. All the member countries from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) had enterprises to participate in the exhibition. Nations along the Belt and Road and the relevant countries from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) which attended the fair had also increased, compared to the previous session.

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What can we expect from 5th CIIE?

What's new at the 5th CIIE?

This year had set up new exhibition zones for the crop seed industry and artificial intelligence. The fair also established the "From Exhibitors to Investors" subsection for the first time to celebrate the fifth anniversary and to let exhibitors share their stories with the expo.

Meanwhile, more than 150 startups specializing in technological equipment, consumer products, and the medical and automotive fields presented their products at the innovation incubation subsection. 

Deals and transaction

From 2018 to 2021, exhibitors at the four previous editions of the CIIE had launched more than 1,500 new products, technologies, and services, with a total expected turnover exceeding $270 billion, according to the data from the Ministry of Commerce.

Despite global market uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 epidemic, the confidence and interest that foreign companies have in the Chinese market appeared unchanged, with the value of intended deals reached for one-year purchases of goods and services at the fifth CIIE hitting $73.52 billion, a 3.9-percent year-on-year increase.

"The CIIE has become a showcase of the country's new development paradigm, a platform for high-standard opening-up, and a public good for the whole world," President Xi Jinping said in the keynote speech via video at the opening ceremony of the expo. "We should steadily advance economic globalization, enhance every country's dynamism of growth, and provide all nations with greater and fairer access to the fruits of development." 

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Graphics: Foreign capital still positive on Chinese market