CIIE public good for win-win cooperation

In his letter sent to the sixth China International Import Expo when it opened in Shanghai on Sunday, President Xi Jinping put forward his expectations for the future development of the event — it should accelerate the improvement of its window function to form a new development paradigm, give full play to its role as a platform to promote high-standard opening-up, and better provide international public goods and services that can be shared by the world.

This has set the expo higher development goals, so that it can better promote China's opening-up to the world, and the latter can better enjoy China's development dividends in that process.

At this year's CIIE, about 442 new products, new technologies and new services were unveiled, indicating the significance enterprises, both domestic and foreign, attach to the Chinese market.

That the expo has attracted more and more exhibitors from around the world indicates that the business community has confidence in the upgrading potential of China's consumer market and its continued commitment to high-standard opening-up.

China has proposed a series of measures at this year's event, such as expanding imports, implementing the national version and the pilot free trade zone version of the negative list for cross-border service trade, and building more high-level opening-up platforms, all of which present opportunities for multinational enterprises.

The CIIE is also becoming a reliable platform for the less-developed countries to access the world market. Among the 72 state exhibitors at the CIIE's national exhibition, 64 countries took part in the Belt and Road cooperation and 16 are least-developed countries. Enterprises from 29 least-developed countries are taking part in the CIIE's enterprise exhibition. All the booths and services provided to them during the expo are free.

The CIIE's role as a global public good is unquestionable. In the future, the CIIE will build on what it has already achieved in promoting inclusive and shared development. That means the CIIE will always adhere to genuine multilateralism and support economic globalization, reject protectionism, unilateralism, trade bullying, economic coercion and discriminatory policies and practices. In the process, the CIIE will be a flag-bearer for open, fair and inclusive trade and economic relations between countries.

In the next five years, China's foreign trade in goods and services are projected to exceed $32 trillion and $5 trillion respectively. As the world's first import-themed national exhibition, the CIIE will continue to release the dividends of China's opening-up and high-quality development.

And by giving full play to its role as a platform for promoting high-standard opening-up, the CIIE can continue to help China play its part to make economic globalization more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all.