(The 9th CIIE) Understand China’s “new engine” at the CIIE: seeking an innovative future with the power of intelligence

China News Service, Shanghai, November 9 (Reporter Zheng Yingying) The open booth is a window for observing industrial development. At the 9th China International Import Expo, from new generation mobile communication bases to high-end manufacturing and smart terminals, a number of hard-core exhibits outlined a vivid picture of China's "new engine" continuing to roar.

The overall exhibition area of ​​this year's CIIE exceeded 440,000 square meters for the first time, which is equivalent to more than 61 standard football fields. In the pavilion shaped like a four-leaf clover, Chinese innovation is everywhere.

The first is China's new generation mobile communication network, which provides network services for huge exhibition halls and dense crowds. Reporters learned from Shanghai Tower that its self-developed digital twin platform monitors 459 key communication support sites within 3 kilometers of the CIIE exhibition hall in real time, upgrading communication services from "human sea tactics" to "digital intelligence support." Shanghai Mobile has also launched a global 3D digital twin command platform to support network security in ultra-large and complex venues.

For smart terminals to be interconnected, the network must come first. The communication guarantee at the CIIE exhibition hall is the epitome of the booming development of China's new generation of mobile communications.

Data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China show that as of the end of June, the total number of 5G base stations in China reached 5.102 million. In addition, China's 5G-A basic network construction is accelerating, and 6G is also accelerating from laboratory research and development to experimental verification and industrial implementation.

Entering the exhibition hall of the CIIE, a large number of hard-core innovations in the China Pavilion of the National Exhibition demonstrate the strength of China's manufacturing, from the Long March 10B carrier rocket and offshore network recovery device model, the domestic large-scale cruise ship "Aida Huacheng" model, to the CR450 EMU model experience and Zhang Xue locomotive.

The second domestically produced large cruise ship "Aida Huacheng" was delivered in Shanghai on the 6th, marking the successful conclusion of China's domestically produced large cruise ship innovation project. From "Aida·Modu" to "Aida·Huacheng", China's shipbuilding industry has achieved a historic leap from "single ship breakthrough" to "two wheels shining together".

In addition to the "crown jewel" of the shipbuilding industry, according to data released by the official website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, in the first three quarters of 2026, China's three major shipbuilding indicators (shipbuilding completion volume, new orders received, and orders held) have increased across the board, and its international market share has maintained a global lead. Among them, as of the end of September, the number of orders held by China's shipbuilding industry was 399.13 million deadweight tons, a year-on-year increase of 64.8%, accounting for 72.4% of the world's total.

At present, the “innovation engine” that has attracted much attention in China is also embodied intelligent robots. At this CIIE, Shanghai's well-known robotics company Zhiyuan exhibited a variety of products that have been implemented, showing the practical progress of robots from technology demonstration to practical work. A variety of intelligent rehabilitation robots from Fourier, another local robotics company in Shanghai, also appeared in the exhibition area, demonstrating the company's scientific and technological exploration of using robot technology to connect medical, rehabilitation and elderly care services.

Data show that in 2025, the operating income of enterprises above designated size in China's robotics industry will exceed 300 billion yuan, with an average annual growth rate of over 20% in the past five years.

In June this year, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council issued a notice to jointly launch a special action for real-life training of humanoid robots and embodied intelligence in 2026. The goal is that by the end of 2026, key products such as humanoid robots will be the first to complete application verification and normal deployment in a number of representative scenarios, and start the "operation mode."

A year's "appointment with the China International Import Expo" and an industrial outlook. China's "innovation engine" is running in both directions with the global market, continuing to release forward momentum.