For the second year in a row, Chinese President Xi Jinping will be attending China's largest annual import-themed national-level exhibition.
The president has been confirmed to deliver the keynote speech at the second China International Import Expo (CIIE) this week. Xi will also be touring various national pavilions during the event and meeting global leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron.
Xi's attendance at this year's CIIE event has been seen as a clear sign of China's solid commitment to opening up its markets. The Chinese president has also been very active in participating in various global collaboration events over the past few months. While Xi may not have physically attended all of the events, his office did send congratulatory letters from the president that was read at the events.
In October, Xi sent his congratulatory message to the first Qingdao Multinationals Summit. The president's message still echoed China's commitment to further opening up, stating that China will be opening its doors wider moving forward. During the same month, Xi sent another letter to the Fourth Understanding China Conference, which had expressed the same sentiments of global cooperation to boost the world economy.
Last year's CIIE event proved to be quite a successful one with hundreds of global leaders and companies in attendance. The event was meant to serve as a venue for global entities to showcase their products and services to China and to each other, bolstering import and export cooperation on a global scale.
During last year's ceremony, Xi stated that China is committed to opening up its market to the rest of the world. The president had stated that the country is one of the biggest markets in the world with over 1.3 billion people, which means that there will be a lot of opportunities for global corporations and governments. Xi also stated that the Import Expo should result in continued success for everyone involved in the years to come.
The second CIIE event will officially kick off today, Tuesday, with a number of ceremonies and programs scheduled throughout the week. More than 3,000 companies from over 150 countries will be attending the expo. Global leaders such as Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness will be attending.
China opening up efforts, under the backdrop of numerous international exhibits and events, has proven to be quite successful as the country has seen an influx of foreign investments. During the first three quarters of 2019, China saw a 6.5 percent year-on-year increase in foreign direct investments to $97.1 billion. During the same period, the country saw the establishment of more than 30,000 foreign-invested companies and businesses.
