Debuting at the Eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE), held in Shanghai from November 5 to 10, Germany’s SUPER POP functional soda, a drink co-developed by the popular fitness influencer Pamela Reif, gained great attention with its zero-sugar ingredients. After going viral on lifestyle sharing app Instagram, this year, the brand took the CIIE as a platform to explore the Chinese market.
The CIIE is the world’s first national-level import-themed expo. The expo is a major policy for China to push for a new round of high-standard opening up, and a major measure for China to take the initiative to open its market to the world, President Xi Jinping said when delivering a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the First CIIE in 2018.
Since its inception, the CIIE has been a gateway for foreign companies to tap into opportunities in the Chinese market. This year’s CIIE featured the largest exhibition space in its history and brought together a record 4,108 enterprises from 138 countries and regions. U.S. companies ranked first in terms of exhibition space for seven consecutive years.
Enterprises from 123 Belt and Road partner countries participated in the event, up 23.1 percent from 2024. The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative works to boost connectivity along and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes.
Participating companies from the least developed countries totaled 163, a 23.5-percent year-on-year increase. The number of African enterprises present was 80 percent higher than last year.
The expo saw the debut of 461 new products, technologies and services. It also introduced new themes such as the pet economy, ice and snow economy, and digital consumption this year.
Anastasia Nesvetailova, Director of the Macroeconomic and Development Policies Branch of United Nations Trade and Development, told Beijing Review that the CIIE was a success despite the current context of a fracture in multilateralism. “What I have seen here is constructive dialogue, effective action and preserving multilateralism,” she said.
The booth of U.S. electric car maker Tesla at the Eighth CIIE on November 4 (COURTESY PHOTO)
Strong partnership
Many U.S. firms introduced new products at this year’s expo. With its golden streamlined body and unique design without steering wheel and pedals, the Tesla Cybercab, introduced by U.S. electric car maker Tesla at the expo, was a must-see for many visitors.
According to the company, the Cybercab employs Tesla Vision, an autonomous driving solution based on a visual processing system, allowing unmanned driving without components like laser radars. The golden exterior comes from the natural color of the metal body, enhancing environmental sustainability. The Cybercab also features wireless charging technology and automated robotic arms for cleaning.
Mass production of the Cybercab is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2026, Tesla said, noting that it will be used in the company’s Robotaxi unmanned ride hailing service.
Tesla also showcased its two robots at the expo. The company is launching a humanoid robot production line, which will begin production at the end of 2026 and achieve an annual output of 1 million units by 2030. According to Tesla, it will release the third generation of humanoid robots in the first quarter of 2026.
In February this year, after having operated in the Chinese market for 11 years, Tesla began operation of its energy storage plant in Shanghai, its first energy storage gigafactory outside the United States.
The factory produces the company’s Megapack, which is an advanced battery system designed for large-scale energy projects that can store more than 3,900 kilowatt-hours of electricity in a single unit. Up to 10,000 Megapack units are scheduled to be produced at the Shanghai factory annually.
In Tesla’s vehicle gigafactory in Shanghai, over 95 percent the components are locally produced. The rate of automated production has exceeded 95 percent, with a vehicle rolling off the production line in around 30 seconds.
In the third quarter of this year, Tesla sold nearly 170,000 vehicles in China, up 31 percent year on year from the previous quarter. The vehicles produced in the Shanghai gigafactory also saw record-high sales in Asia-Pacific markets, the company said.
U.S.-based global diversified technology company 3M has participated in the CIIE for eight consecutive years. It showcased various innovative products and material application solutions for infusing green energy into multiple industries through its materials science.
The CIIE serves as a vital platform for 3M to demonstrate its innovative achievements and strengthen local collaborations. Over its past years of participation, the company has consistently aligned with the Chinese market, integrating technologies with local needs to support sustainable industry development, Henry Ding, President of 3M China, told Beijing Review, noting that CIIE has helped foreign companies, including 3M, explore the investment opportunities within the Chinese market.
According to Ding, at this year’s expo, 3M exhibited multi-scenario innovative solutions that span from industrial manufacturing to daily consumption. It showcased its tape products for transportation, construction and general industry, as well as home appliances, welding helmets and water repellent material for outdoor apparel and gear.
Its products for the automotive industry, including solutions specifically designed for batteries of electric and hybrid vehicles, and car glass cleaner, were also put on display.
3M signed a strategic cooperation memorandum to explore green technology with U.S. chemical producer Dow at this year’s CIIE, leveraging the event’s role as a meeting point for top global companies.
Exhibitors from Ecuador at the Food and Agricultural Products Exhibition Area of the Eighth CIIE on November 5 (WEI YAO)
In China, for China
As a global player in fermentation, France-based Lesaffre Group was another eighth-time participant in the CIIE this year. Jérôme Vanachter, President of Lesaffre Greater China, said during the CIIE that over the past editions, the company has witnessed the expansion of the Chinese market and will continue to explore it in the future.
Today, Lesaffre operates six manufacturing sites in China, along with four major baking centers in the country. The company has also developed its baking center in Shanghai into its first industrialized hub in the Asia-Pacific region, in order to serve its Chinese partners and improve the sustainability of its products.
German specialty chemicals company Evonik Industries AG also debuted several new products at the expo. According to Evonik, it has been exploring cooperation with Chinese companies including the sportswear brand 361 Degrees and multiple makeup brands, using its new material products.
Evonik has introduced a lightweight, high-elasticity nylon foam material for sports shoes. The material, made from recycled raw materials, helps reduce carbon emissions by 70 percent compared to conventional practices.
The company has also launched green biogas separation technologies, enabling high efficiency production of clean energy, which has been deployed in over 70 projects across China. In Jiangsu Province, the technology assists in processing 300,000 tons of manure in rural areas annually, therefore generating 8.76 million cubic meters of biogas.
A visitor tries on exoskeleton robotic devices of Shanghai-based robot company ULS Robotics at the Eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai on November 5 (COURTESY PHOTO)
Going global
Shanghai-based Chinese robotics company ULS Robotics showcased its star products at this year’s expo. Its exoskeleton robotic devices with hip joint and a motor system on legs allow wearers to feel more at ease when running. Its FIT-HV PRO waist exoskeleton robotic device allows wearers to effortlessly lift a 25-kg water bag. Weighing only 5.6 kg, this device provides up to 30 kg of assistance to human arms, reducing labor strain and improving efficiency.
Established in Shanghai in 2018, ULS Robotics has participated in the expo for three consecutive years. With five sales centers across five cities in China, its products have been applied in fields including auto manufacturing, firefighting, mining and electricity production.
“ULS Robotics aims to use this year’s expo as a platform to promote its exoskeleton robots and solutions to the global market,” Zhang Hua, co-founder of ULS Robotics, told Beijing Review. ULS Robotics has exported its products to 25 countries and regions, including Germany, Canada and Malaysia.
Its exoskeleton products have also transitioned from being limited to use in industry to use in daily scenarios, allowing it to address practical needs for the elderly or disabled groups, Zhang said.
Chinese collectibles retailer Pop Mart, with its star product Labubu going viral around the world, built a dreamy world at this year’s expo. The 600-square-meter wonderland featured a 5-meter-tall Twinkle Twinkle statue, themed photo booths and 11 brand-new character designs.
Pop Mart first attended the CIIE last year. According to the company, it has introduced a Labubu global series to resonate with consumers overseas. In 2024, the company’s revenue in North America and Southeast Asia totaled over 700 million yuan ($98 million) and 2.4 billion yuan ($336 million), respectively, surging around 500 percent and 600 percent year on year.
Once again, the expo highlighted China’s push for opening up and its role as a champion of global trade. “China is now the heart of the world manufacturing sector. What’s changing is the nature of that production, which is moving up on the industrial chains,” Richard Baldwin, a professor of international economics at the IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland, told Beijing Review.
Many Chinese companies are going global, which is an absolutely critical element of the world economy. While there are a lot of tensions in the world, China could be part of the solution to keeping the waters calm and allowing international business to continue, Baldwin said.
In his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of this year’s expo on November 5, Premier Li Qiang said that with a record high number of participating enterprises, this year’s CIIE demonstrated the vitality of China’s super-large market.
The document of recommendations for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), adopted at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee, convened in Beijing from October 20 to 23, has injected greater certainty into China’s economic and social development for the period ahead, Li stressed.
He added that China will unswervingly promote high-standard opening up, steadily expand institutional opening up and advance comprehensive pilot programs to accelerate the opening up of the services industry.
A more modernized China will surely bring more stability and positive energy to the world, Li said. –The Daily Mail-Beijing Review news exchange item
