China prepares to unveil world’s largest trade fair as Beijing seeks to mend ties with economic partners

Record number of Fortune 500 participants expected at this year’s show, to be held between November 5 and 10, as entries exceed last year’s 284 companies

Food and clothing products are seen drawing in many middle-class visitors despite weak domestic consumption

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An exhibition area is pictured at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), the main venue the China International Import Expo (CIIE). Photo: Xinhua

Published: 7:45pm, 26 Jul 2023

The China International Import Expo (CIIE) expects 20 Fortune-500 companies to make their debut at the world’s largest trade fair in Shanghai to be organised in November this year, as preparations get under way to hold the marquee event for the first since the end of strict anti-pandemic curbs that limited participation in the past three years.

The CIIE Bureau, a unit of the Ministry of Commerce which is organising the event, said the number of Fortune 500 participants expected at this year’s show, to be held between November 5 and 10, already exceeds last year’s record of 284 companies. That number is expected to grow as China makes renewed efforts to consolidate its economic and business ties with its trade partners around the globe after dropping travel restrictions, among the strictest in the world, in November last year.

“It will be a free and open CIIE, different from the previous three events,” said Chen Xiao, chief executive of Shanghai Yacheng Culture, a marketing and branding company. “Domestic consumption appears to be weak, but high-quality food and clothing products are still going to draw many middle-class consumers.”

He added some of his clients dealing with food businesses are keen on sourcing foreign-made products such as chocolate and wine, expected to be displayed at the CIIE.

This photo taken on November 6, 2022 shows people visiting the 5th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. Photo: AFP

Preparations are under way for the annual trade show, first organised in 2018, to be held this year without the strict anti-pandemic curbs that were a feature of China’s three years of zero-Covid strategy. Last year, all participants were required to be fully vaccinated and provide records of negative nucleic acid tests taken within 24 hours of entering the venue. The organisers had also limited the number of visitors in the previous three events.

“We are doing our best to make the CIIE this year a great success as we start a 100-day countdown to the event. The efforts are aimed at ensuring the event this year will be the best and most successful one,” said Sun Chenghai, deputy director of the CIIE Bureau, at a press conference in Shanghai on Wednesday.