Photo taken on October 22, 2023 shows the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), the venue of the China International Import Expo (CIIE). Photo: VCG

The sixth China International Import Expo (CIIE) is scheduled to be held in Shanghai from November 5-10, with 289 of the world's top 500 and industry-leading enterprises participating, exceeding the previous levels, a Chinese official revealed on Monday.

The sixth CIIE will welcome guests from 154 countries, regions and international organizations. More than 3,400 exhibitors and 394,000 professional visitors have registered to attend, fully returning to pre-pandemic levels, said Sheng Qiuping, China's vice minister of commerce, at a press conference.

It will be the first complete return to in-person exhibitions for the event since COVID-19.

A total of 69 countries and three international organizations have confirmed their participation in the national exhibition section, covering five continents. Among them, 11 countries are taking part for the first time, and 34 countries are taking part on-site for the first time. Honduras, Kazakhstan, Serbia, South Africa and Vietnam will serve as guests of honor, Sheng said.

The world's top vehicle brands, industrial electrical enterprises, medical equipment producers, mining giants, grain merchants and major shipping companies have confirmed plans to attend. More than 100 senior executives from the world's top 500 companies and industry-leading enterprises will attend, also reaching a new high.

The CIIE remains an important platform for Singaporean companies looking to gain a foothold in the Chinese market, as well as those looking to reconnect with existing partners and deepen their networks in the market, Kok Ping Soon, CEO of the Singapore Business Federation, told the Global Times on Monday.

Singaporean businesses are buoyed by the upgraded bilateral relationship between China and Singapore, and they are looking forward to more significant trade and investment opportunities, the CEO said. 

As the world's first national-level exposition dedicated to imports, the CIIE serves as a resounding testament to China's increasingly welcoming stance and unwavering dedication to promoting high-level opening-up. It has also built an international platform for international procurement, investment promotion, people-to-people exchanges, opening-up and cooperation, experts said.

The record number of participants demonstrates the failure of the US-led West's decoupling strategy against China, Bai Ming, deputy director of the international market research institute at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Monday.

Global exhibitors know the potential of China's consumption market continues. Though the growth rate of China's consumption is not as fast as in previous years, it remains overall stable, attracting more and more exhibitors from all over the world, Bai noted.

The expo serves as a gateway for developed countries and also offers opportunities for developing countries and regions to tap into the global market, Bai said.

Among the 72 national exhibitors of the upcoming CIIE, 64 are Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partner countries, Sun Chenghai, deputy director of the CIIE Bureau, said at the press conference on Monday.

More than 1,500 companies from BRI partner countries have signed up for the enterprise exhibition, with the total exhibition area reaching nearly 80,000 square meters, an increase of about 30 percent over the previous session, Sun said.

For the least-developed BRI partner countries, the CIIE will help promote the entry of local specialty products into the Chinese market by providing free booths at the expo, and offering subsidies and preferential tax policies for the purchase of exhibits, Sun said.