By Zhong Sheng
Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to deliver a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the second China International Import Expo (CIIE) and the Hongqiao International Economic Forum on Nov. 5 in Shanghai.
In fact, Xi also delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the first CIIE held last November. It is clearly evident that the Chinese government attaches great importance to the event.
The CIIE demonstrates China’s consistent position of supporting the multilateral trading system and promoting trade liberalization and facilitation. It is a concrete action by China to advance an open world economy and build a community with a shared future for mankind.
As the world’s first import expo held at the national level as well as an innovation in the history of global trade, the CIIE shows that China is committed to achieving win-win cooperation and making progress together with the rest of the world.
It is noted by the entire world that China has suited the action to the word. China will not stop its effort to pursue higher-quality opening-up. The country will not stop its effort to pursue an open world economy, and it will not stop its effort to pursue a community with a shared future for mankind.
China is building three bridges: one to the world, one to prosperity and one to the future, said Christine Lagarde, former managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at the first CIIE.
The first CIIE turned out to be really fruitful. Statistics from the China International Import Expo Bureau show that intended purchases of goods and services reaches $57.83 billion for the whole year after the first CIIE.
Right now, these orders have gradually been confirmed and various cooperative projects are speeding up.
China, with a population of nearly 1.4 billion, has opened its market and shared the opportunities with the rest of the world. This will not only help China set a new model and open up new prospects for reform and opening-up at a higher level, but also bring people around the world a stronger sense of gain.
After being exhibited at the first CIIE, jute handicrafts knitted by impoverished women in Bangladesh entered high-end department stores in Shanghai and fresh fruits from Hawaii became available in popular coffee shops in China.
By teaming up with Chinese Internet companies, Italian manufacturers now sell household appliances at their respective overseas prices while providing nationwide warranty services for Chinese consumers.
Compared with the first CIIE, the second one will be held on a larger scale with higher quality and richer activities from Nov.5 to 10.
Up to now, guests and representatives from more than 170 countries and regions have confirmed that they will attend the import expo. Their enthusiasm indicates that the international community thinks highly of and holds great expectations towards the CIIE.
The expo has become a great platform for global companies to share the development dividends of China, an increasingly attractive market and investment destination.
A confident China will keep open to the world and promote a more open world. The Chinese economy is not a pond, but an ocean, as Xi said during the first expo. The president also pointed out that China’s initiative to expand imports is not a choice of expediency, but a future-oriented step taken to embrace the world and promote common development.
Earlier this month, the IMF lowered its global growth forecast for 2019 to 3 percent in its latest World Economic Outlook (WEO) report, the lowest since the international financial crisis. One of the main reasons is the uncertainties of global trade.
It should be noted that against the background of rising trade protectionism and anti-globalization, to host a better import expo not only demonstrates China’s firm determination to open wider to the outside world, but also boosts global trade demands and add new impetus to the world economy.
(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy.)
