Opening-up and Cooperation Bring about Development for All

The second China International Import Expo （CIIE） will open on November 5 in Shanghai. As the world economy faces growing downward pressure and surging trade protectionism， China， the world largest exporter and second largest importer， has promised to make the import expo an annual event in the coming years. A channel for foreign businesses to enter the massive Chinese market， the event highlights Chinas resolve to open wider to international trade and investment， and signifies its sincerity to share development opportunities with the rest of the world.

Many products present at the first CIIE became available to average Chinese consumers soon after the expo concluded. Within three months， a New Zealand brand of milk appeared on the shelves of a supermarket in Pingluo， an inland county of 300，000 residents in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The sales of another brand of milk from the same country soared by 36 fold on the e-commerce platform Tmall.com. With its population of 1.4 billion， China is projected to import US $30 trillion worth of goods and US $10 trillion worth of services in the coming 15 years.

This years CIIE will be larger in terms of both its physical presence – 360，000 square meters， 60，000 square meters more than last year – and the number of participating countries， regions， international organizations， and corporations. More new products， technologies， and services will debut for the first time in China or globally.

According to China International Import Expo Bureau， coorganizer of CIIE， more than 3，000 companies will attend this years expo， with more than 1，000 attending for the first time. Most of the leading companies included in the worlds Top 500 that attended the first CIIE will come again， and half of them will expand their presence at the expo.

During the second CIIE， the second Hongqiao International Economic and Trade Forum will be held under the theme of“opening-up， innovation， and win-win cooperation.” Officials of various countries and leaders of international organizations will give speeches on topics ranging from business environment， artificial intelligence， and free trade to e-commerce. The forum is meant to set up a stage for dialogues between politicians， scholars， and businesspeople around the world on the latest global development trends and challenges.

Only by opening up and actively participating in multilateral cooperation can countries improve productivity， reduce waste of resources， create conditions for common development， and eventually realize sustainable development of the world economy.

China is setting an example in this regard by playing an active role in multilateral organizations. At the 11th BRICS leaders summit to be convened in Brazil from November 13 to 14， it will work to advance cooperation among BRICS countries and achieve common development among emerging economies and developing countries.

At the informal BRICS leaders meeting in Osaka on the sidelines of the G20 summit in June， 2019， Chinese President Xi Jinping called for BRICS countries to further cooperation in the fields of economy， political security， and people-to-people exchanges in a balanced manner， establish partnerships for new industries and innovation， and accelerate practical cooperation to improve the groups competitiveness. He said that BRICS countries need to be deeply engaged in global innovation and cooperation， advocate for mutual benefit and win-win results， and foster a sound international environment featuring openness， justice， and nondiscrimination. In this way， all countries， including emerging markets and developing countries， and all businesses can participate in scientific and technological innovation and benefit from it.

China firmly upholds multilateralism， safeguards the international order based on international law， and the international system with the UN at its core， advocates extensive consultation， joint contribution， and shared benefits， and opposes illegal unilateral sanctions and “long-arm jurisdiction.” At the November BRICS summit， China will continue to advance international cooperation， improve global governance， and contribute to building a community with a shared future for mankind.