A Look Ahead at the Highlights of the 9th China International Import Expo

SHANGHAI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE) will be held in Shanghai from November 5 to 10. At a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on October 16, officials outlined preparations for the event and answered questions from the media.

Yan Dong, vice minister of commerce, said preparations for the expo are basically complete. A total of 162 countries, regions and international organizations are expected to participate, with 4,142 overseas companies exhibiting. The total exhibition area will exceed 440,000 square meters for the first time.

The Country Exhibition has attracted 69 countries and international organizations, more than last year. Canada and Sri Lanka will serve as the Guest Countries of Honor, while Moldova, Romania and three other countries, along with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will make their debut at the expo.

Under the theme “Breaking New Ground for a Shared Win-Win Future,” China Pavilion will highlight the new blueprint for China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), presenting a forward-looking perspective, a global vision and a commitment to opening-up.

The Enterprise & Business Exhibition will also scale new heights, with its area exceeding 370,000 square meters for the first time. Companies from the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and France will lead in terms of exhibition space. U.S. companies will occupy more than 50,000 square meters, retaining the top spot for the eighth consecutive year.

Exhibition space occupied by African companies is also expected to increase steadily, while the area of free booths provided to least-developed countries will grow by 17%.

The Hongqiao International Economic Forum, held alongside the expo, will issue the Export-to-China Capacity Development Report for the first time and continue to release the World Openness Report.

The Enterprise & Business Exhibition will retain its “6+1” layout, comprising six major exhibition zones—technical equipment, consumer goods, food and agricultural products, automobiles and smart mobility, medical equipment and healthcare products, and trade in services—alongside an Innovation Incubation Special Section.

More than 300 Fortune Global 500 firms and industry-leading enterprises will take part for the first time. Nearly 200 companies and institutions will have attended all nine editions of the expo, while over 2,000 first-time exhibitors will bring fresh faces to the event.