The preparatory work at the National Exhibition and Convention Center's south square in Shanghai, host of the second China International Import Expo (CIIE), is finished. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

The second China International Import Expo (CIIE) is set to kick off on Tuesday in Shanghai. More than 3,000 companies from more than 150 countries and regions will attend the CIIE's company exhibition, exceeding the first CIIE's attendance figures from last year. 

The exhibition hall has expanded to 360,000 square meters. More than 250 of the world's top 500 companies and industry leaders have signed up for the second CIIE. The average exhibit area is about 93 square meters, up 20 percent compared with the first CIIE.  

More US companies will attend this year's CIIE than last year's, Ministry of Commerce senior official Ren Hongbin said at a press conference in July. 

"The Chinese market has great appeal to companies at home and abroad, including US companies. For the US, even if there is some friction on the bilateral side, it can't change the companies' attention to and great enthusiasm for the Chinese market," Ren said.   

In 2018, more than 170 US-based companies attended the fair, with a total exhibition area of more than 36,000 square meters. These companies ranked among the top three groups of attendees by country.

Many of the latest technologies and high-end technical products on waste management, medical treatment and "smart cities" are expected to be displayed in this year's CIIE.

More than 4,000 representatives from government, business, and academia will meet during the CIIE and jointly discuss diverse topics such as artificial intelligence, the development of e-commerce, and the shared future of humanity. 

Working staff from Infineon Technologies, a German semiconductor manufacturer founded in 1999, puts a robot on the exhibition stand. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

An aero-engine made by General Electric (GE), an American multinational conglomerate, is displayed at CIIE. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

A mechanical arm made by SCHUNK GmbH & Co. KG, a multinational manufacturing company, based principally in Germany and in the US. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

An employee cleans an Alfa Romeo vintage car. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

 

 


Newspaper headline: A world of imports