The UK will showcase cutting-edge innovation at November's China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai.

The UK is proud to be Country of Honour at CIIE and to work alongside China’s Ministry of Commence and Shanghai Municipal Government, to showcase the UK’s dynamic, diverse and cutting-edge technology.

Taking place at the Shanghai National Exhibition Centre from 5-10 November and organised by the Chinese government, CIIE will feature over 2000 exhibitors, with more than 150,000 trade visitors expected to attend.

The UK’s presence at CIIE will focus on bringing the very best of the UK to China, showcasing the UK’s expertise across a range of sectors. The UK pavilion at CIIE will feature world-leading companies in healthcare and life sciences, financial and professional services, education, creative industries, consumer goods, food and agriculture products, aviation and aerospace, automotive, AI and big data. In addition to the UK national pavilion, CIIE will feature British companies including Jaguar Land Rover, British Airways, Astra Zeneca, Standard Chartered Bank, HSBC and DeLonghi – Kenwood.

The theme of the UK Pavilion is Innovation is GREAT and will include cutting-edge VR and AR technologies from partners like Hypervsn who will display their 3D holographic system; Indewho will showcase a next-generation augmented reality mirror that lets users meet, interact and even take their photo with some of the greatest animated characters around; and Inition’s emerging VR which will allow people to experience a 360° 3D video and audio journey, transporting users into a‘live’ orchestra performance. Cutting-edge software company Engage will feature their CoCreate interactive software platform, designed to take workplace collaboration to the next level by combining a large touchscreen application, which draws together content to display, annotate and manipulate across the entire touch surface.

Not only will the pavilion display some of the UK’s most pioneering technology, it will provide a unique platform for Chinese businesses, investors and consumers to connect with UK companies. A number of wraparound events will also take place at CIIE, exploring how the UK and China can work together to boost the trading relationship between the two countries. Events will have an overarching innovation theme with a focus on healthcare, financial and professional services, education, sport, energy and creative technology. The UK programme at CIIE will include a series of thought leadership talks, business seminars, product demonstrations and panel events. Cambridge Consultants will hold a seminal event on AI, demonstrating the UK’s expertise.

CIIE provides a unique opportunity to further strengthen and deepen the UK’s long-term cooperation with China in the Golden Era. China is the UK’s largest trading partner outside of Europe and North America. The UK-China trade relationship has gone from strength to strength: bilateral trade in goods and services reached a record £67.5bn in 2017, a 15% increase from 2016, whilst UK exports to China grew by 28.5% in 2017 to reach £22.3bn.