China International Import Expo to promote further opening-up

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The first China International Import Expo (CIIE), all set to kick off next Monday in Shanghai, is a crucial step to further opening up China's market, China's Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Bingnan said on Saturday.

"The CIIE is a significant decision to promote a new round of opening-up at a higher level… and a flagship undertaking to celebrate and deepen reform and opening-up on its 40th anniversary," Wang said at the press briefing on the CIIE.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce is holding a press briefing on the 1st China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, November 3, 2018. /CGTN Photo

Political leaders from over 130 countries and heads of international organizations, global business leaders, famous experts and scholars, and around 1,500 representatives from China will attend the opening ceremony on Monday, where Chinese President Xi Jinping will deliver a keynote speech, said Wang.

The expo, the first ever national exhibition in the world with the theme of imports, will include two major activities: the first Hongqiao International Economic and Trade Forum and the National Comprehensive Trade and Investment Exhibition.

It is an important enabler for efforts to jointly build the Belt and Road, a global public good by the Chinese government to promote economic globalization, an international stage for global cooperation in openness, and a concrete action to build a community with shared future for mankind, said Wang.