CIIE opens up opportunities for multinationals

Almost 3,500 exhibitors occupy business exhibition area, spanning 360,000 square meters

The business exhibition at the ongoing 2024 China International Import Expo, scheduled to run until Sunday, is an ideal platform for enterprises to demonstrate their latest innovations and find opportunities to grow their business.

This year, the business exhibition at the CIIE occupies an area of more than 360,000 square meters. With nearly 3,500 exhibitors from 129 countries and regions in attendance, it surpasses the record set in 2023. Of them, 297 are from Fortune 500 companies and industry leaders.

Additionally, 186 companies and organizations have been participants every year since the CIIE's inception in 2018.

The Hongqiao International Economic Forum, themed High-Standard Opening-up for Universally Beneficial and Inclusive Economic Globalization and held concurrently with the CIIE, includes a main forum and 19 subforums to cover a wide range of topics such as sustainability, new energy vehicles and artificial intelligence.

This expo, inaugurated in 2018, has become an important stage spotlighting China's new development paradigm, a platform for high-level opening up, and a public good for the whole world.

For companies, the annual CIIE is an efficient communication platform, which can assist companies to better convey development strategies with government and partners. It is a strong pool of professional buyers, which enhances supply-demand efficiency. It is also a window for companies to observe changes in the Chinese market to navigate opportunities and challenges.

Fostering growth

To adapt to the needs of new industrialization and bolster quality development in all aspects of society, China has been promoting the development of new quality productive forces. Companies participating in the seventh CIIE are demonstrating their dedication to supporting China's development strategy.

Nippon Paint, making its inaugural appearance at the 2024 CIIE, has set up a booth in the newly established New Materials Special Section, showcasing its commitment to these objectives.

"This year marks Nippon Paint's debut at the CIIE, so we intentionally opted for the New Materials Special Section, epitomizing cutting-edge productivity," said Eric Chung, CEO of Nippon Paint China. "Our objective is to showcase Nippon Paint's latest technologies, products and applications in critical development sectors globally and in China," he added.

This year, key products showcased by Nippon Paint include a photocatalytic coating, which is valuable in urban renewal and air purification efforts, and a smart road marking paint, which can help enhance vehicle-to-road coordination and support the development of modern road infrastructure.

Nippon Paint is also debuting a product named AQUATERRAS, which represents Nippon Paint's pioneering self-polishing anti-fouling coating devoid of biocides.

This innovative solution integrates anti-thrombosis technology derived from the medical realm to mitigate ecological footprints, thereby curbing fuel consumption and emissions by 14 percent.

"Our goal is to showcase Nippon Paint's wide-ranging product portfolio, global business reach and capabilities at the CIIE, a globally renowned platform for showcasing excellence," Chung said. "We anticipate that the CIIE will enable Nippon Paint to establish strategic partnerships across diverse business sectors and to share Chinese and global opportunities with partners worldwide," he said.

Chung emphasized that Nippon Paint, with more than 30 years of operation in China, remains confident in the Chinese market. With 74 production sites and 10 research and development centers established, and its R&D center for the Asia-Pacific region under construction, the company is keen to support China's initiatives in advancing new quality productive forces, urban renewal and sustainability.

"In the future, we will uphold a strong commitment to 'In China, For China' and continuously monitor the changes and demands of the Chinese market," he said. "We will introduce targeted innovative products and technologies, maintaining a positive outlook on China and investing in China," he added.

Powering sustainability

Japanese creative entertainment company Sony is displaying its breakthroughs under the theme of "powering creativity and sustainability through technology" at the Intelligent Industry and Information Technology Exhibition Area at the 2024 CIIE.

It is the third time Sony is participating in the CIIE. Highlights of the 2024 display include Sony's immersive entertainment solutions, an introduction of sustainable new materials, the Yuru Music program that enables everyone to enjoy playing musical instruments, and the release of the Sony China Sustainable Development Report 2024.

The report reveals Sony's sustainable development achievements in China over the past year, spotlighting the company's initiatives in environmental protection, education and accessibility. Sony's partial image sensing technologies and solutions are also on display.

"Sony demonstrated its full range of consumer electronics products at the inaugural CIIE in 2018 and breakthroughs in sustainability at the 2023 CIIE. Sony's participation experiences are not only a manifestation of confidence in the Chinese market but also a commitment to working together with China for mutual development," said Takehito Soeda, vice-president of Sony China.

According to Soeda, Sony has been developing and expanding in the Chinese market for many years and is always committed to long-term development goals and continuously diversifying its business in China. Since entering the Chinese market, Sony has not only brought advanced technology, products and content, but promoted localization in China.

"Every step of Sony's growth is closely linked to China's social and economic development, and every innovation is aimed at meeting the needs of Chinese consumers and society," said Soeda.

"Sony looks forward to exploring with the governments, industry experts and the vast number of CIIE participants how to use the power of technology to promote the prosperity and sustainable development of the cultural and creative industries at the 2024 CIIE," he said.

"We hope the demonstration can create and deliver more KANDO (emotions) and drive the industry toward a better future. We expect to unlock more potential at the 2024 CIIE."

Soeda added that the CIIE provides Sony with an important window to accelerate innovation, deepen cooperation and broaden its horizons, underscoring the strategic significance for Sony's future development.

"It can help us better understand new needs and trends through communication with local Chinese customers and enterprises from various countries at the CIIE, collaborating with more stakeholders and creators to seek development and create inspiration together," he said.

"If I were to describe the CIIE with some keywords, I would say 'inclusive and beneficial to all'. 'Inclusive' symbolizes the inclusivity and diversity of the CIIE, which perfectly aligns with Sony's business diversity and inclusive corporate culture.

"On this platform, Sony can showcase its latest technologies, products and services, while deepening cooperation with global partners and expand business coverage. 'Beneficial to all' highlights the benefits of the CIIE to global trade and society as a whole," said Soeda.

New trends

Mitsubishi Corp is another first-time participant in the CIIE in 2024. The company's showcase includes nearly 20 Japan-made snacks, iichiko which is a wheat-based sake, Kamakura Shirts and some co-branded products for Lawson. Its cross-border cold chain logistics service platform Ruiyun Cold Chain is also on display.

Takamasa Wakaki, regional executive vice-president for China at Mitsubishi Corp, as well as chairman and president of Mitsubishi Corp (Shanghai), said that he personally attended the 2023 CIIE with Hiroshi Nishino, senior vice-president and regional CEO for China at Mitsubishi Corp. They subsequently recommended to the Japan headquarters that Mitsubishi should exhibit at the event.

"This year marks our first participation in the exhibition, representing a completely new endeavor for Mitsubishi. We hope that after this CIIE, everyone can become more familiar with Mitsubishi and the products we trade and promote," Wakaki said. "Additionally, we also anticipate to attract more attention from local authorities. As a company that has been deeply rooted in Shanghai for more than 30 years, we believe it is our duty to contribute to the development of Shanghai," he said.

Mitsubishi, which has been investing in various sectors in China since 1992, such as metal production, healthcare, chemical product trade, finance, leasing and consumption, has been closely monitoring emerging trends like new energy, AI and mobility in China, according to Wakaki.

"The CIIE showcases the latest technologies and products from around the world, which is very helpful for us to grasp new trends," Wakaki said.