At CIIE, shared opportunities become shared growth: A Pakistani brand's journey into China's market

Editor's note: This article was co-authored by Madiha Abid Ali, Anchorperson & Journalist of Pakistan Television News, and Yu Hongyu, a CGTN reporter. The views expressed are the authors' own and do not necessarily reflect those of CGTN.

When a company from the Global South steps onto the floor of the China International Import Expo (CIIE), it is stepping into an opportunity China has deliberately built. The world's first national-level import-themed expo was conceived not as a trade show where exhibitors must fight for attention, but as a platform where a rising economic power opens its market and says: come, sell here, grow with us. For Pakistani brands, that invitation carries the warmth of an ironclad friendship, one forged through decades of All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership and deepened daily under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Hemani Herbals is a compelling example of what this partnership looks like in practice. One of Pakistan's largest producers of natural and herbal goods, the company carries over 2,500 health and wellness products and already ships to more than 85 countries. At CIIE, Hemani found what years of independent outreach could not: direct access to Chinese importers, distributors, and e-commerce decision-makers under one roof. The expo's design:one-on-one procurement matchmaking, dedicated country pavilions with subsidized booth fees, and expedited customs channels,is not accidental. It is China's institutional answer to the question every Global South exporter faces: how do I go from unknown to stocked?

The real prize is not a single expo order. It is the distributor who keeps calling afterward, the storefront that opens on a Chinese e-commerce platform, and the supply agreement that renews because the product earned its shelf. China's 1.4 billion consumers reward brands that invest in local packaging, meet regulatory standards, and price thoughtfully, and that reward is exactly what makes the market worth the effort. For a company like Hemani, the Chinese consumer is not a gatekeeper to be feared but a partner to be understood.

The momentum is unmistakable. Pakistan's exports to China reached $2.386 billion in the first eight months of 2026, a 40.51% year-on-year surge, according to China General Administration of Customs data. Refined metals, agriculture, and textiles led the charge, but the range is broadening fast: leather goods, handicrafts, fashion, precious stones, and health products are finding Chinese buyers for the first time, both through the Pakistan Pavilion and independent listings.

This growth did not happen in a vacuum. It reflects the second-phase negotiations of the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement, which are set to further reduce tariffs and expand market access into value-added categories. It reflects China's zero-tariff treatment for least-developed countries, extended and deepened. And it reflects a deliberate policy choice: China is not merely a market that happens to be open, it is actively widening the door for partners who share its vision of mutual development.

With room to grow, the task now is to widen the product base so that this momentum becomes a durable current rather than a single wave. CIIE, with its buyer-facing architecture, is precisely the accelerant that can turn spikes into recurring revenue.

Pakistani participation at CIIE has grown steadily since the inaugural edition in 2018. More firms are joining the Pakistan Pavilion each year; more are registering independently, drawn by word-of-mouth success stories. Chinese e-commerce platforms, meanwhile, have launched dedicated programs to help South Asian brands navigate cross-border logistics, localization, and consumer engagement, lowering the learning curve that once made China seem forbidding to first-time exporters.

For Hemani, the next chapter is clear: deepening its China strategy, investing in brand-building tailored to Chinese shoppers, and building supply-chain resilience that can scale with demand. The company that walks into CIIE as a promising newcomer walks out, year after year, as a brand that Chinese families recognize, trust, and reorder.

This is what shared growth looks like in practice,not a slogan, but a shelf in a Chinese home carrying a Pakistani-made product, renewed because it earned its place. China's opening-up is not a one-time gesture; it is a commitment renewed with each expo, each policy round, each partnership deepened. And for the Global South, the message is simple: the door is open, the path is clear, and the growth is meant to be shared.