Interview: CIIE significant for international trade, world economy, expert says
ZAGREB, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- The 2023 China International Import Expo (CIIE) held in Shanghai, China from Sunday to Friday will play a significant role in promoting international trade and the world economy, said Franjo Maletic, professor at the University of the North in Croatia, in a recent interview with Xinhua.
The CIIE, with the unique aim of attracting imports to China from around the world, has become more and more attractive to global manufacturers and has resulted in numerous deals and agreements mutually beneficial to all participants, Maletic said.
"There is no serious country in the world that does not care about the Chinese market today, and that is why the CIIE is becoming more important," he noted.
More and more multinational companies have been choosing the CIIE to showcase their new products, which shows that they attach "unusual significance" to the Chinese market, the second-largest economy in the world with a population of 1.4 billion, Maletic added, citing the recent visits of executives of multinational companies to China, including Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook and Severin Schwan, chairman of the Board of Directors of Roche Group.
"The CIIE is a good platform to exchange experiences and sign agreements," Maletic said, voicing confidence that China, as usual, will hold a successful CIIE.
Maletic said that through the CIIE China shows its willingness to open the market to the world and share its experiences of development, knowledge and innovations with others.
In a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the sixth CIIE and the Hongqiao International Economic Forum in Shanghai, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said China will actively expand imports, promote coordinated development of trade in goods and services, implement negative lists for cross-border service trade, support innovation in foreign trade formats and models, and boost digital trade.
Through the CIIE and the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as other important initiatives, such as the Global Development Initiative, "China has made great contributions to the international trade and world economy," Maletic added.
