Xi talks up CIIE benefits during banquet for foreign dignitaries
Print Edition
PRESIDENT Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a banquet last night in Shanghai to welcome distinguished guests from around the world, who are in the city to attend the second China International Import Expo.
The CIIE is designed to trade goods and services, exchange culture and ideas, and welcome visitors from across the globe, Xi said. It benefits the whole world and responds to the aspirations of people from various countries to live a better life.
Xi and Peng posed for photos with foreign leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, and their spouses.
On behalf of the Chinese government and people, Xi extended a warm welcome to the leaders and guests.
China has made remarkable achievements over the past 70 years since the founding of New China, especially during the country’s 40-strong years of reform and opening up. “From the course of China’s development, we realize that China will do well only when the world does well, and vice versa,” Xi said.
In a short span of time, the CIIE has attracted wide participation of countries and enterprises from all over the world, Xi said, noting that it has become a major initiative in the history of global trade and an important platform for international cooperation in the new era.
By holding the CIIE and proactively expanding imports, China is taking the initiative to pursue a new round of high-level opening up, deepen international cooperation in advancing the Belt and Road Initiative and jointly foster an open global economy, Xi noted.
The second CIIE, which kicks off today and end on Sunday, is expected to exemplify China’s commitment to wider opening up and shared prosperity.
Of the 64 countries that will host country exhibitions at the expo, 24 will make their first appearances.
Covering 330,000 square meters, business exhibitions at the second expo have attracted more than 3,000 companies from over 150 countries and regions.
A total of 192 American enterprises will attend the event, up 18 percent from the previous year. Their exhibition area covers around 47,500 square meters, the largest among all participating countries, according to Ren Hongbin, assistant minister of commerce.
The CIIE is “a big platform for enterprises to show their most advanced products and technologies,” said Yoke Loon Lim, president of Dow for Greater China.
Frank Rodriguez, adviser to Panama’s minister of commerce and industry, said some 40 Panamanian firms will attend this year’s CIIE, almost doubling the number for the previous year.
“We want to keep propping up Panamanian products for entry into China’s market, such as high-quality tropical fruits,” said Rodriguez, recalling that Panamanian pineapples attracted a lot of interest in the Chinese market last year.
“CIIE has provided a big platform to help emerging economies and developing countries to participate for their own benefits, easing the global development imbalance,” said Wang Lei, professor at the Beijing International Studies University.
During the first CIIE, deals worth US$57.83 billion for intended one-year purchases of goods and services were reached, and more than 90 percent of the contracts were completed in the past year.
The number of new products and technologies which will debut at the second CIIE is expected to surpass last year, said Sun Chenghai, vice director of the CIIE Bureau.
With the theme of “New Era, Shared Future,” the second CIIE is a climax of China’s efforts in 2019 to pursue high-quality opening up and work with other countries to build an open world economy.
This year, China has rolled out revised negative lists for foreign investment market access, issued an overall plan for the new Lingang area of the Shanghai pilot free trade zone, and introduced a new regulation on optimizing the business environment.
According to the latest World Bank report, China’s ease of doing business ranking rose to 31 this year from 46 last year, and it is also among the 10 economies that improved the most on the ease of doing business following regulatory reforms.
Hosting the CIIE demonstrates China’s commitment to promoting shared prosperity and mutual benefits with its partners, said Malaysian International Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Ong Kian Ming.
Meanwhile, visitors and companies have shown a lasting passion for the expo.
Country exhibitions will be extended for eight more days in response to citizens’ overwhelming response, according to organizers.
A total of 115 firms have already signed up for the third CIIE so far. Those early birds have taken around 60,000 square meters of the exhibition area for next year’s event, said Sun.
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