中文
By Maya Majueran
Lead: This year's China International Import Expo will be both a showcase of high-standard opening-up and an invitation for the world to help shape the next chapter of globalization.
When the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE) opens its doors in Shanghai from Nov. 5-10, the world will see more than just a trade fair. It will see China stage a live demonstration of what its leaders now call "high-standard opening-up," a vision highlighted just weeks earlier at the fourth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
This year's CIIE is bigger, smarter and more policy-driven than ever, with over 430,000 square meters of exhibition space and dedicated zones for innovation, green development and digital trade. Customs and immigration facilitation measures, one-stop clearance systems and new cross-border service mechanisms have been introduced to streamline business operations.
Yet the event's true importance lies beyond logistics. It marks a decisive shift in how China perceives its place in the world economy: from a participant in globalization to one of its architects.
At the CPC plenum in late October, the Party adopted a framework that redefines openness not as simply more, but as better. The communiqué called for building a "high-standard socialist market economy," improving institutions and governance and pursuing high-quality development.
"High-standard opening-up" therefore means deeper alignment with international rules, more balanced two-way investment and a predictable environment for global enterprises. The CIIE — barely two weeks after the plenum — is particularly noteworthy, as it translates new policy commitments into visible practice and allows international partners to test China's renewed promise of transparency and reciprocity.
By hosting this eighth expo, China signals a transition from quantity-based growth to quality-based development. This transition reflects a broader transformation. China no longer seeks to be a passive participant of globalization; it aspires to become one of its designers. The CIIE embodies that shift, complementing the country's broader economic outreach through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
While the BRI initially focused primarily on physical infrastructure, its agenda has now widened to embrace digital innovation, green development and institutional cooperation. With around 150 partner countries, it has reshaped economies from Africa to Southeast Asia, financing vital infrastructure and improving connectivity.
Yet its deeper purpose lies in advancing what Beijing calls a "community with a shared future for humanity," a model rooted in mutual benefit rather than dependency.
What makes this high-standard opening-up distinctive is its rule-based and inclusive nature. Two policy moves highlight this evolution: the complete removal of foreign investment restrictions in the manufacturing sector and the introduction of a zero-tariff policy for goods from the world's least-developed countries.
These measures are not simply about attracting capital; they aim to make globalization fairer and more equitable, particularly for developing economies that have long sought greater access to major markets.
The transformation is already visible through real-world outcomes. Over the years, the CIIE has delivered concrete results.
Japan's Takeda Pharmaceuticals used the expo as a platform to launch new medicines, transforming its China branch into one of the company's fastest-growing subsidiaries.
The small alpaca-wool brand Warmpaca, jointly established by Peruvian craftsmen and their Chinese partners, began with a nine-square-meter booth at the first CIIE and has since expanded into dozens of shopping malls and online platforms across China, multiplying its sales many times over.
Brazil's Suzano Paper & Pulp leveraged the fair to co-develop bio-based materials and low-carbon products with Chinese partners, linking sustainable production to innovation and market expansion.
These examples show how the CIIE has become not just a trade fair, but a laboratory for co-development, where commerce meets technology and sustainability.
China's new model of openness also extends beyond trade to the sharing of knowledge and technology. In artificial intelligence, Chinese firms such as Baidu, DeepSeek and Huawei have pledged to open-source their large language models and data center technologies, offering developers around the world access to advanced digital tools. This reflects a willingness to participate in a collaborative global AI ecosystem, where innovation is shared rather than monopolized.
In agriculture, China continues to export hybrid rice technology, first developed by Yuan Longping, through training programs and demonstration bases in countries like Madagascar and Brunei, where local yields have multiplied.
In green energy, China's Belt and Road partnerships have focused on solar, wind and battery technologies, helping developing nations expand renewable capacity while lowering global costs. These initiatives represent a new phase of openness — one that shares not only markets but also technological capabilities and sustainable solutions.
This commitment also extends into finance. To strengthen global monetary stability, the People's Bank of China had expanded its network of bilateral currency swap agreements to 32 countries and regions by the end of May this year, providing 81.8 billion yuan ($11.4 billion) in liquidity.
These arrangements enable trade to be settled in local currencies, reducing exchange-rate risks and transaction costs. The Nigeria-China swap, for instance, has facilitated billions in trade and strengthened Nigeria's financial resilience.
Together with more than 2 trillion yuan in Belt and Road loans managed by the Export-Import Bank of China, these mechanisms form the financial backbone of a more inclusive and diversified global trading system.
In a world where trade has become fragmented and politicized, China's approach offers a counter-narrative. Instead of retreating behind protectionist walls, Beijing is promoting inclusive globalization, characterized by cooperation, co-development and shared innovation.
Through the CIIE, the Belt and Road and its expanding technology-sharing initiatives, China seeks to shape a new era of openness, where economic engagement is measured not by volume but by value, resilience and fairness.
Ultimately, the CIIE is more than an invitation to trade; it is an invitation to participate in global governance. By pairing international cooperation with institutional reforms and technological outreach, China is signaling its readiness to move from "Made in China" to "Shared with the World."
In this evolving landscape, Beijing is not merely offering others a seat at its table; it is inviting the world to help write the next chapter of globalization, one in which high-standard opening-up becomes both the symbol and substance of a truly shared future.
Maya Majueran is the founding director of the Belt and Road Initiative Sri Lanka (BRISL), a pioneering organization dedicated to research, dialogue and engagement on China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
