China News Service, Shanghai, November 6 (Reporter Li Jiajia) The 9th China International Import Expo ushered in heavy passenger flow on the 6th. While the exhibition scale index continues to rise, the exhibition structure is also iterating, and the role differentiation and mechanism upgrades of different economies are eye-catching.
A total of 162 countries, regions and international organizations participated in this CIIE, and 4,142 overseas companies participated in the exhibition. The overall area exceeded 440,000 square meters for the first time. For the first time, exclusive "privilege packages" exclusive to the guest of honor and the "Export to China" annual theme country were launched. With a new model of "in-hall display + city linkage outside the hall", the exhibition extended from the exhibition hall to the urban space of Shanghai.
Sri Lanka, which serves as the guest of honor for the first time, focuses on special products such as sapphire and Ceylon black tea. The museum also has a dedicated area to promote the 2027 Sri Lanka Expo, extending the benefits of participation beyond the exhibition.
Developed economies are still the core force in the first innovation and localization layout of the CIIE, relying on the large scale of exhibitions to launch in-depth industrial competition. Data shows that the exhibition area of American companies has increased by 1,500 square meters compared with last year to more than 50,000 square meters, maintaining the first place for eight consecutive years; the exhibition area of Canadian and New Zealand companies has reached the largest ever; the exhibition area of Australia has expanded by 25% compared with last year.
The core logic of developed economies’ participation in exhibitions is no longer simply product display. Leading companies represented by ABB, GE Aerospace, Michelin, Siemens, etc. not only use the CIIE as the main venue for the global debut of new products, but also simultaneously demonstrate their R&D, manufacturing and supply chain capabilities established in China, transform short-term exhibition participation into long-term industrial layout, and build core competitiveness through first-time innovation and local cultivation.
Relying on geographical and industrial advantages, some economies have taken the characteristic path of small and medium-sized scientific and technological innovation enterprises organizing groups to participate in the exhibition and embedding themselves in China's industrial chain.
For example, Romania made its first systematic appearance at the CIIE in the form of a national pavilion this year. It hopes to bring wine into supermarkets, mineral water into hotels, new energy into parks, and auto parts into the supply chain. The goal is to move from "short-term exhibition participation" to "long-term operation." The Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has also set up a representative office in Shanghai to undertake three functions: market access consultation, assisting county-level business associations in connecting with the Yangtze River Delta, and serving as a "trust portal" for small and medium-sized enterprises.
China's continued expansion of the door of opening up has established a low-threshold and institutionalized access channel for countries in the global South to enter China, achieving universal benefit and win-win results.
For the least developed countries, this CIIE continues to expand free exclusive booths, with an area increase of 17% year-on-year, and upgrades the Asian and African specialty product area to provide zero-distance docking platform dividends. Coupled with China's major policy of implementing zero tariffs on all tax items with 53 African countries that have diplomatic relations with China from May 2026, this CIIE has become the core window for policy implementation.
At the same time, sister-city pairings and provincial and state group participation models continue to emerge, which also bring national-level macroeconomic and trade cooperation down to the local practical level.
After nine years of hard work, the CIIE has become a core institutional platform for the world to observe China's opening up and for companies from various countries to deeply explore the Chinese market. From the previous competition of booth area and scale of exhibitions to the current hierarchical layout, mechanisms to compete for the first place, and in-depth long-term cooperation, the iteration of the exhibition pattern displayed at the 9th CIIE is a vivid epitome of China’s continuous deepening of high-level opening up to the outside world.
Industry analysts pointed out that future exhibition competitions at the CIIE will continue to focus on mechanism innovation, industrial implementation, and long-term symbiosis, and the CIIE’s value as a global resource allocation and open hub will be further highlighted.
