A group of 25 leading international companies from 11 countries have signed contracts on Saturday to take part in the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in November in Shanghai.

The companies that attended the signing ceremony are mostly in the manufacturing industry like machinery and automotive, including Bosch, Honeywell, Tesla, Fiat Chrysler, and Hyundai Kia. This made the total number of signed participant companies to nearly 1,100, over 400 of which were signed in April. 

Many companies are eager to explore or further develop the Chinese market, even though they have well localized production lines in China already. Bosch, for example, “has secured an exhibition booth in the automotive hall, and is considering getting another booth in the home appliances hall. We are looking forward to introduce the less localized products to China to see if we can replicate the success we’ve made before,” according to Jiang Juan, Vice President of Bosch (China) Investment Ltd.

Also, Alfayate Garcia Ignacio from Spanish machine design and manufacturing company Nicolás Correa is grateful to the Chinese market. “China has taken one third of our total sales. It’s our biggest target market, with over 400 large-scale machines installed, many in state-owned big companies. We are expecting a bigger share in the market by taking part in the Import Expo.”

Many state-of-the-art technologies in the manufacturing industry will be presented for the first time. GF Machining Solutions Limited from Switzerland will bring 6 conceptual pieces of equipment, and TRUMPF will showcase its AI factory solutions and 3D printing breakthroughs.

A total of 47 buyers have participated in the signing ceremony, including Chinese state-owned enterprises, joint ventures and local companies.