Global industrial leaders, government officials, and scholars attending the opening of the 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai on Tuesday have hailed the event as serving as an exemplary platform for China's high-level opening up, helping promote international cooperation and business opportunities.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 7th CIIE and the Hongqiao International Economic Forum in Shanghai, with the ceremony moderated by China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao.
Running through to Nov 10 under the theme of "New Era, Shared Future," the 7th CIIE has attracted about 3,500 exhibitors from 129 countries and regions, and industry leaders have praised the open and promising business environment the CIIE has helped promote in China.
"I think the business environment is quite predictable, which is very important for international companies, and I think it has gotten easier in many respects, to basically be able to reach people," said Frank Hammes, CEO of IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company.
"I think it is very important to have a Chinese open approach, because you can benefit best from both the talent and economy in China, for China, but also to use that capability to support exports into other countries of the world," said Roy Jakobs, CEO of Dutch multinational firm Philips.
"China is open, and this is a showcase, and I feel Japan and China will be closer and closer," said Takeshi Niinami, CEO of Suntory Holdings Limited, a leading global enterprise in consumer packaged goods which is also known for its distilled beverages.
Meanwhile, officials and scholars from African countries also highlighted China's vital role in promoting peaceful international cooperation and the country's considerable contributions to advancing development in the Global South.
"China has been very critical on the need for the countries of the world to be peaceful, and their contribution to the Global South in technology, infrastructure, and business development, [or] should I say trade, has been visible, and can never be ignored," said Chipoka Mulenga, the Zambian Minister of Commerce, Trade, and Industry.
"We are entering a new world, where we have a multipolar world, and as a result we think that the Global South has for a long time been the sleeping giant - it's now rising," said Peter Kagwanja, president of the Africa Policy Institute, a Nairobi-based think tank.
Top executives in the automobile field also noted China's rapid development in the technological field, especially the vigorous expansion of the entire industry chain of China's new energy vehicle (NEV) sector.
"We continue to invest in China and see a long-term development potential, both Germany and China have a long-term cooperation and that continues extremely well," said Sean Green, President and CEO of the German auto giant BMW Group's China region.
"I think China has done a leap forward with NEV development from a traditional ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicle to all sorts of NEVs, and there are lots of technologies, and especially user experiences being developed here," said Sam Wu, President and CEO of Ford China.
More business executives stressed that they have been deeply rooted in China for many years and say they remain optimistic about the Chinese market in the long term, with the success of CIIE a further indicator of global confidence in China.
"It's a country that have a lot of innovation, so innovation where you actually see a lot of trends and many markets are actually popping up in China and then expanding to the rest of the world," said John Markmann, President of Grundfos China, a global supplier of pumps and water technology solutions based in Denmark.
"So, we think the cooperation between New Zealand and China is very good. We've been here for a long, long time. We first started here in the mid-90s, and we've been slowly building up our business up for a very long time," said Alan Bougen, co-founder of Comvita, a world famous honey brand.
"We see China being a very important market, we very much respect the policy of the Healthy China 2030," said Alastair Symington, CEO of Blackmores Group, a global healthcare product manufacturer, as he referred to China's initiative to promote health and development by the end of the decade.
As the world's first national-level import-themed expo, the CIIE has been held annually at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai since its first edition was staged back in 2018.
Global business leaders praise CIIE for promoting int'l cooperation, opportunities
