▲ An electric helicopter and the latest car models are part of the 2025 International Import Expo in Shanghai, China.Photo Jessica Xanthomila
Jessica Xanthomila
Sent
La Jornada Newspaper
Monday, November 10, 2025, p. 11
Shanghai. In China everything is massive and ready to break records, even with the International Import Exhibition (CIIE), the door through which the world economy accesses that of the Asian giant.
In its eighth edition, the CIIE has achieved the largest exhibition area in its history with 367 thousand square meters and sets a mark with the participation of 4,100 foreign companies seeking to open up more space in the Chinese market, with a population of 1,412 million inhabitants.
To impress Asians, the most developed and technological companies have brought their most advanced models. In the exhibition halls, the same electric helicopter-type aircraft as the famous Tesla Cybertruck are exhibited, as well as robots that show their skills in manufacturing, service and cleaning jobs, as well as humanoids to entertain the public.
In previous years, the CIIE has generated a cumulative investment of 5 billion US dollars, according to official data, and has added more than 27 thousand participations from companies that present new products, technologies and concepts.
The magnitude of this fair is only possible in the city of Shanghai, one of the largest financial, business, economic, science and technology centers in the world, in addition to being among the five most populated cities on the planet, with around 24.8 million inhabitants.
Although it seems that China is a country that remains closed to the entry of international products, in the streets of several cities, such as Shanghai and Beijing, there is a vast presence of establishments of recognized Western chains, such as Starbucks and the popular American hamburger restaurants, as well as 7-Eleven convenience stores and Tesla cars, although in a more futuristic version, with iridescent tones.
Economy open to the world
During the opening of the exhibition on November 5, Chinese Premier Li Qiang stated that the CIIE is also the door through which the Chinese economy opens to the world. Given this, he stressed that his nation is willing to work with all parties to improve the level of “trade liberalization and facilitation, and better bring together the dynamics for economic development.”
In recent decades, he said, thanks to free trade and complementarity between countries, the world has effectively realized common development and achieved the fastest growth in human history.
According to official data, in the first nine months of 2025, imports stood at 13.66 trillion yuan (1.93 trillion dollars), with a slight decrease of 0.2 percent.
In this edition of the CIIE, which concludes today, 14 halls of the National Exhibition and Convention Center in the Qingpu district were set up. The tour lasts more than five hours in front of thousands of exhibitors – including Latin Americans, who offer products such as Colombian coffee – with stands that are up to three times larger than usual.
To make the brands attractive to businessmen, entrepreneurs, government authorities and curious people, the companies used everything: some presented products never before seen in Asia, such as a Siemens dual-source photon counting computed tomography machine and the Panasonic liquid cooling pump motor, while others showed off with the designs of their facilities, making them more futuristic, with strident LED lights, in pink and green tones, and large sculptures.
The fair is not far from what is seen outside on the streets of Shanghai, with the third largest tower in the world, 632 meters high; its iconic Oriental Pearl, buildings that light up in colors at night, with messages and figures, as well as its dynamic life around fashion and haute cuisine. This city is a leader in artificial intelligence, biomedicine and integrated circuits, and has increased the number of high-value invention patents per 100 thousand inhabitants, by 57.9.
