CIIE

The fifth China International Import Expo (CIIE) is scheduled to be held from November 5 to 10 in Shanghai, with more than 270 industry leaders having confirmed their participation, a milestone for the expo and a reflection of China's continued opening-up, officials said during a press briefing to mark the 100-day countdown to the event on Wednesday.

Preparation has been carried out in an orderly manner as relevant departments have been making efforts to overcome the disadvantages caused by risks and uncertainties such as the epidemic, organizers said on Wednesday, vowing to adopt scientific epidemic prevention and control measures. 

More than 270 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leading companies have signed up for the CIIE, with nearly 90 percent of them re-attending the event, Sun Chenghai, deputy director of the CIIE Bureau, said at Wednesday's press briefing. The contracted area accounts for about 85 percent of the planned area, said Sun.

During the fourth CIIE, over 280 industry leading companies attended, according to officials.

Companies from member countries of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership have plans to participate in this year's event, said Sun. 

The fifth CIIE will include a business exhibition, the Hongqiao International Economic Forum, country pavilions and other supporting events. It will feature six exhibition areas for food and agricultural products, automobiles, technical equipment, consumer goods, medical equipment and healthcare products, and trade in services, officials said on Wednesday.

So far, nearly 50 countries, including Italy and Brazil, have confirmed participation in the national pavilions online, according to officials.

The success of the CIIE over the past four years demonstrates China's determination to expand high-level opening-up, with cumulative turnover amounting to $272.27 billion, Gu Honghui, deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai municipal government, said on Wednesday. 

Most of the international participants regard the CIIE as an important platform for China to push forward opening-up at a higher level and share opportunities with the rest of the world.

French cosmetics company L'Oréal will participate in the event for the fifth consecutive year. 

It's always believed that the world's opportunity is China's opportunity and vice versa, and we are committed to "bringing good products to Chinese consumers through this platform" and using China's experience to inspire other markets, Fabrice Megarbane, president of L'Oréal's North Asia zone and CEO of L'Oréal China, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Fanny Chen, vice president of Abbott Core Diagnostics, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the CIIE is "a platform of communication and exchanges." 

"Participating in the CIIE enables us to expand the reach of our human-powered technologies to people in need," Chen said. Attending the expo for the third time, Abbott will showcase its diverse life-changing innovations in diagnostics, medical devices and nutrition products this year.

Other international industry leading companies will also exhibit their latest breakthroughs and products, including Daimler Truck's new-generation large-scale engineering equipment transport tractor, Canon's large format printer and the world's first photon-counting CT scan from Siemens Healthineers, according to officials.