Editor's Note: Zhou Jianjun is an assistant researcher at the Institute of State System Research and School of Economics, Zhejiang University. The article reflects the author's views, and not necessarily those of CGTN.

The 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE) was held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) from November 5 to 10, 2025. As the world's first national-level exposition dedicated to imports, the CIIE continues to serve as a platform for international procurement, investment promotion, cultural exchange, and open cooperation. Over the past eight years of continuous efforts, the CIIE has grown into a pioneering initiative in global trade history and a shared choice among enterprises worldwide.

The CIIE has continued to expand in scale and global appeal, evolving from a "showcase window" into a "market gateway". This year's event brought together 4,108 overseas exhibitors from 155 countries, regions, and international organizations, with the total exhibition area exceeding 430,000 square meters. Both the exhibition area and the number of participating enterprises hit record highs. 

The Country Exhibition featured 67 countries and international organizations, while the Business Exhibition hosted 290 Fortune Global 500 companies and leading industry players, with around 450,000 visitors registering for the event. An increasing number of overseas companies chose to debut or spotlight their new products and technologies at the CIIE, marking the event's transformation from a simple display platform into one that facilitates product launches, business matchmaking, and subsequent implementation. These foreign enterprises seek to deepen their foothold in the Chinese market with the CIIE as a springboard. 

Bayer, a long-standing "old friend" that has attended every edition of the CIIE since its inauguration eight years ago, presented 26 highlight exhibits this year, showcasing its achievements in integrating global innovation with local practices to meet China's market needs.

Technological and industrial highlights abounded at the CIIE, reaffirming its role as a grand stage for the latest technological innovation. This year's CIIE featured 461 new products, technologies, and services, spanning futuristic industrial fields such as the low-altitude economy and humanoid robotics. 

In the automobile and smart mobility exhibition area, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft stole the spotlight and were dubbed "flying cars". Among them, the INFLYNC L600 made its global debut at the event as the world’s first full-size tiltwing ducted-fan eVTOL. Combining the comfort of a business car with the efficiency of a helicopter, it accommodates one pilot and five passengers, with commercial manned operations expected to commence in 2028. 

In addition, other companies also unveiled their latest technological innovations. Unitree Robotics introduced its G1 humanoid combat robot, while Tesla showcased its Cybercab autonomous vehicle. Bringing together the latest scientific and technological products from around the world, the CIIE has become one of the best windows into the frontiers of technological innovation and future industry trends. 

Many of these new products, technologies, and services have found partners through the CIIE platform, accelerating industrialization through product transactions and technological collaborations, and transforming into new-quality productive forces that benefit millions of households across the globe.

The CIIE has yielded substantial outcomes in economic and trade cooperation, serving as an innovative platform for advancing China’s high-standard opening up and fostering global win-win partnerships. 

Over its first seven editions, the CIIE recorded a cumulative intended transaction volume exceeding $500 billion, playing a vital role in deepening China's trade and economic ties with the rest of the world. 

The 8th CIIE attracted numerous companies to participate and make purchases across a wide range of sectors, including bulk commodities, biopharmaceuticals, and aviation equipment. China Eastern Airlines signed 19 procurement agreements worth $1.21 billion with 15 suppliers from nine countries and regions. Sinochem concluded purchase agreements totaling $14.4 billion with nearly 20 companies from more than ten countries and regions, including Saudi Arabia. Shanghai’s state-owned enterprises secured 113 intended procurement deals worth $2.78 billion. Large-scale purchases by Chinese enterprises not only boost the volume and quality of imports and enhance the openness of China's domestic market but also contribute to job creation and economic growth in partner countries. 

In this sense, the CIIE serves as both a window for China's opening up and a global platform for exports. The flourishing of the CIIE can not only effectively advance China’s higher-standard opening up but also promote mutual benefit and shared development worldwide, injecting greater certainty into an increasingly uncertain world.