The CIIE is more than just a several-day expo. It has the potential to help revive the Chinese and global economies.

"Amid the epidemic, the third CIIE will expand imports and further open China up to the outside world, showing that China is a responsible member of the international community and is critical to the recovery of global economic growth and the construction of an open world economy," said Shang Yuying, deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai government and director of urban services for the CIIE.

Trade promotes investment. Shiseido, Danone, and Boehringer Ingelheim have successively announced that they will establish R&D centers in Shanghai, and Panasonic has successively launched two new factories in Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces.

"The CIIE gives us reassurance and strong confidence in continuing to invest in China," said Zhang Xiao, president of Varian in Greater China. According to Zhao, the company's high-end linear accelerator production line exhibited at the second CIIE was officially launched in March this year, making Beijing Varian's R&D and production center with the most complete product line in the world.

New measures for expanding trade and consumption have emerged one after another. Due to the epidemic, many exhibitors have placed more importance on the CIIE this year and have changed their participation strategies. At the Global Commodity Trade Port, the South African Import Pavilion will display South African beef, which will also be displayed at the third CIIE.

During the recent Shanghai May 5 Shopping Festival, 12,000 South African beef sales were made. Wang Junling, head of the South African Import Pavilion, said that this approach can help South African products enter the Chinese market more cheaply and efficiently.

In the bonded logistics center of the Hongqiao Business District near the National Exhibition and Convention Center, a large number of CIIE exhibits, including Italian wine, Belgian ice cream, and Greek olive oil, have entered customs ahead of schedule. Cai Jun, general manager of Shanghai Hongqiao International Import Commodity Exhibition and Sales Co Ltd, said that in the past, exhibitors could only transport goods in small batches by air, and they had to get them out of the country after the exhibition. However, they can now be sold in large numbers after entering the bonded logistics center.

"During the regular epidemic prevention and control period, the uncertainty of global economic and trade development and the instability of the global industrial chain and supply chain have increased significantly. All countries need to work together to promote greater openness and stronger cooperation," said David Aikman, chief representative of the World Economic Forum in Greater China.

Wang Xinkui, director of the Shanghai WTO Affairs Consultation Center, said that the CIIE, which attracts companies from around the world, can play an important role as a "stabilizer" of the global supply chain and aid in global economic growth.