After Hainan's island-wide special customs operations, what's new and trending at CICPE 2026?

Visitors wear smart glasses during the sixth China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, April 13, 2026. The sixth CICPE features groundbreaking innovations in artificial intelligence (AI). A wide range of new tech consumer products are showcased at the event, spanning multiple sectors including smart interaction, wearable devices, and smart healthcare. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyun)

If one were to use two words to describe the sixth China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE), "new" and "heated" should be the perfect fit.

As the first major exhibition of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period and the first premiere event after Hainan's island-wide special customs operations, the sixth CICPE brings together more than 3,400 participating brands from over 60 countries and regions, features over 200 new product debuts and accounts for at least 65 percent of the products displayed at any major international exhibitions. It paints a fresh picture of China's consumer market — open, inclusive, surging in vitality, and ever-growing in momentum.

The CICPE is, in effect, a bellwether for China's consumption upgrading. From tech empowerment to the rise of "China chic" and a growing focus on health and quality, each business transaction event and each new product launch decodes the latest trends and drivers of China's consumption.

China's consumer market is undergoing structural adjustment, characterized by supply-side optimization and demand-side upgrading. As technological iteration accelerates, AI applications expand, and business models converge, the supply side is creating demand through product innovation. Meanwhile, consumers are seeking to reduce household chores, improve nutrition, and embrace Chinese-style aesthetics, with the demand side driving supply through the pursuit of high quality.

As a consumer extravaganza, the CICPE's constant stream of new and premium products relies precisely on this two-way synergy between supply and demand. Leveraging the advantages of the government's free trade port policies in Hainan, the event is becoming an ideal testing ground for cultivating new consumption growth drivers and promoting consumption upgrading.

Where there is a "new" trending in consumption, there would be "heated" following in the market. The holding of the CICPE is not only about on-site buzz and enthusiastic business cooperation, but also about the eager expectation of promoting mutual benefits through consistent opening-up.

Walking through the exhibition halls, one can feel the waves of the attendees. Curious spectators gather around low-altitude aircraft, ordinary consumers carefully browse duty-free premium zones, and long lines snake around "health" food booths where people queue up for tastings… The appeal of quality products immediately translates into heavy foot traffic.

Viewed from a broader narrative and longer time horizon, the "heated" following of the CICPE is not a temporary phenomenon but rests on solid foundations.

As unilateralism and protectionism continue to disrupt the international economic and trade order, the world now yearns for resilient supply and production chains, equality, and mutual benefit, and stable, sustainable platforms for fruitful cooperation. Therefore, the CICPE is becoming a global event and a win-win platform.

During the past five CICPE sessions, a total of 3,800 enterprises from 92 countries and regions have participated, featuring over 12,000 brands. The fact that the record number of participating country pavilions at this year's CICPE is a vivid verification of its huge success.

Indeed, "new" and "heated" are inseparable. The "heated" following of the CICPE embodies new consumption trends, emerging fashions, the rising momentum brought by opening-up, and the global aspiration for a better life. This enthusiasm reflects the robust vitality of China's super-sized consumption market, which will also in turn translate into strong momentum to spur global economic growth.

Within the kaleidoscope of the CICPE, one can perceive the great resilience and vitality of China's economy. And beyond the expo, as the dividends of free trade port policies continue to unfold, the Chinese market, with its more open stance and greater innovative energy, will contribute even more "Chinese strength" to the development of the world.