Visitors interact with a humanoid robot at the 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE) on November 6, 2025. Photo: Chen Xia/GT

With the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in full swing in Shanghai, global companies are unveiling their latest technological innovations, capitalizing on the opportunities arising from China's commitment to further open its massive market.

Many foreign enterprises expressed confidence in the country's high-quality and innovation-driven growth over the next five years, vowing to expand in the Chinese market and seize even greater opportunities.

A stage for all

Some 461 new products, new technologies and new services are being introduced at this year's CIIE, covering humanoid robots, digital consumption, silver economy and low-altitude economy, according to the organizer.

On the opening day of the CIIE on Wednesday, Tesla's Cybercab made its Asia-Pacific debut in the automobile and smart mobility area. The sleek golden model, with its sci-fi aesthetic, has no steering wheel or pedals and is built for self-driving. Tesla revealed that the mass production of Cybercab will start in the second quarter of 2026.

German life-science firm Bayer is attending the CIIE for the 8th consecutive year. This year, Bayer is highlighting 26 featured exhibits, ranging from breakthrough drugs and therapies to trusted self-care solutions and modern agricultural innovations too, reflecting how Bayer's innovation deeply integrates into the implementation of China's national initiatives.

"We participate in the CIIE for the 6th time this year, and we highly value this platform that gathers global innovation and collaboration," Frank Hammes, CEO of Swiss air purification company IQAir, told the Global Times.

"Our debut of the new-generation air purifier Atem X at the expo not only demonstrates our commitment to the Chinese market, but also reflects our determination to deepen China-Switzerland cultural exchanges and advance green and healthy technology development through this platform," Hammes said.

The CIIE, as a key platform for promoting high-standard opening-up, serves as a strategic link for Philips to connect global resources with local innovation. "Through this window, we not only showcase globally leading technologies but also strive to integrate Philips' accumulated clinical expertise with China's research and development agility, diverse application scenarios, and digital ecosystem," said Ling Liu, executive vice president and chief regional leader of Philips Greater China.

Rising innovation landscape

From homegrown large aircraft and the expansion of China's large vessel fleet to breakthroughs made by firms like DeepSeek and Unitree Robotics, China's innovation achievements have been making headlines in 2025.

During this year's expo, China Pavilion showcased the latest achievements in China's reform and opening-up during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), featuring a record high of 570 exhibits. The model of the CR450 showcases "China speed," created by the world's fastest bullet train. Real-time translation glasses amazed foreign visitors, while underwater robots demonstrated equipment maintenance and emergency-response capabilities.

Wang Xingxing, founder and chairman of Unitree Robotics, said on Wednesday at the Hongqiao International Economic Forum, held as part of the CIIE, that his company has been continuously advancing the goal of making robots "truly work."

"We have always believed that our objective is for robots to be widely applied in various scenarios such as factories and households. Work is undoubtedly a rigid demand," he said.

From industry giants to rising startups, the dedication shown to China by global tech companies is timely, as the country's prominence in the global innovation landscape continues to rise. Recently, the World Intellectual Property Organization released the Global Innovation Index 2025, showing that China has risen to 10th ranking for the first time.

Abundant opportunities

Despite global uncertainties, the CIIE continues to serve as a bridge, enabling all to share opportunities from China's high-quality development.

"The Chinese market offers stability, vast scale, rapid innovation, and visionary sustainability focus - and is critical to Goodyear's success in Asia Pacific," Nathaniel Madarang, president of Goodyear Asia-Pacific, told the Global Times.

"China's technological breakthroughs are fueling high-quality productive forces and creating a vibrant ecosystem for foreign firms. This momentum - driven by scale, speed, and integrated supply chains - offers multinationals access to top talent, co-innovation partnerships, and a vast tech-savvy market. For Goodyear, it means numerous partnership opportunities on future mobility solutions," Madarang said.

In February, China released an action plan to stabilize foreign investment in 2025. The plan supports pilot regions through further opening-up measures in areas such as value-added telecommunications, biotechnology and wholly foreign-owned hospitals, offering end-to-end services for foreign-invested projects.

The Recommendations of the Central Committee of the CPC for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development adopted at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) emphasize strengthening greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology, and ramp up the development of new quality productive forces.

China's economy will remain strong over the next five years, with the country's GDP growth rate likely to grow at about 5 percent annually, John Ross, former director of Economic and Business Policy for the Mayor of London, told the Global Times in an interview on Wednesday.

"When I first started writing in 1992, China's economy was growing very fast. Now, the country has achieved something that no other developing country has ever achieved in history, which is to become the technological leader," Ross said, noting that China will continue to serve as a stabilizing force for the world.