Jinbao, mascot of the first China International Import Expo (CIIE), is seen in front of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), the main venue to hold the CIIE, in Shanghai, east China. The CIIE is scheduled to be held from Nov. 5 to 10 in Shanghai.(Xinhua/Han Yuqing)

Today, Nov. 5, marks the opening of the First China International Import Expo, which will welcome over 3,000 companies from 130 countries and regions to the National Exhibition and Convention Centre in Shanghai.

The China International Import Expo (CIIE) kicked off this morning with an opening ceremony, attended by President Xi Jinping along with 18 heads of state and government.

During his keynote speech, President Xi said that all countries should be committed to opening-up and oppose protectionism and unilateralism in a clear-cut stand, adding that China will push forward multilateral and bilateral cooperation in pursuit of development.

The CIIE comes as China pushes to further open up to the world, in line with the 40th anniversary of the country’s reform and opening up. This expo, therefore, is an important opportunity for international businesses to penetrate the Chinese market and develop trade links.

During his keynote speech, President Xi said that that China's imported goods and services are estimated to exceed 30 trillion US dollars and 10 trillion US dollars, respectively, in the next 15 years. To help this increase, Xi said that China will speed up the exploration of the building of free trade ports with Chinese characteristics.

The Hongqiao International Economic and Trade Forum also kicks off today as part of the CIIE, hosted by the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China (MOFCOM). With the theme of “spurring new vitality of global trade, creating an open and win-win scenario,” it focuses on new trends and changes in economic development at home and abroad, promoting economic globalization and building an open world economy.

The forum is made up of three parallel sessions, Trade and Opening, Trade and Innovation and Trade and Investment, with speeches from leaders of International organizations, entrepreneurs and academics to discuss issues on the session topics as well as the main problems in the current international trade environment.

The CIIE is the largest import expo of its kind, and the first ever in China, debuting over 5,000 new international products in China. It has invited 12 countries to attend as Guests of Honour, including the UK and Pakistan.

The CIIE will run until Nov. 10 with a clear message that China is open for business, with President Xi confirming "China will not close its door to the world and will only become more and more open.”