Q&A
In May 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation that China will hold China International Import Expo (CIIE) starting from 2018.
To hold CIIE is a significant move for the Chinese government to push forward a new round of high-level opening-up, and an important measure to actively open the Chinese market to the world. Chinese economy now has shifted to the stage of high-quality development from the stage of rapid growth, and the demand for high quality and featured commodities and services is becoming increasingly strong. Hosting CIIE is to create an open platform for international cooperation where all countries may present their national image and conduct cooperation in international trade through opening up and sharing Chinese market. This not only helps satisfy the demand of Chinese people for a better life, but also promotes all countries to develop trade and open up the market, further advance economic globalization and an open world economy so as to build a community of shared future for mankind.
Reply: The first CIIE will be held at National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) from 5 to 10, November 2018, address: No. 333, Songze Avenue, Qingpu District, Shanghai, PRC.
2.Hosts, Supporters and OrganizersReply: The CIIE will be jointly hosted by The Ministry of Commerce of PRC and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, supported by such international organizations as WTO, UNCTAD and UNIDO and organized by CIIE Bureau and National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
3.Scale of CIIEReply: The total exhibition area is over 240,000 ㎡, including the Country Pavilion for Trade and Investment (30,000 ㎡) and Enterprise and Business Exhibition (210,000 ㎡). The first “Hongqiao International Trade Forum” will also be hosted and the supporting activities such as supply-demand matchmaking meetings, seminars and product releases will be held during the Expo. Professional purchasers from over 100 countries and regions are expected to participate in the first CIIE.
4.About the Country Pavilion for Trade and InvestmentReply: The Area is about 30,000 ㎡. The relevant countries and regions will be invited to participate in CIIE to showcase their development achievements of trade and investment, including trades in goods and services, industries, investment and tourism, as well as representative products of the country or region with distinct features. It is exclusively reserved for country exhibitions, not for business transactions. During the first CIIE, Chinese government will provide the raw space free of charge for all countries joining the Country Pavilion for Trade and Investment and necessary aid and support for developing countries, especially the least developed countries.
5.About the Enterprise and Business ExhibitionReply: The Area consists of two sections: trades in goods and services. The section of trade in goods includes 6 exhibition areas: High-end Intelligent Equipment; Consumer Electronics & Appliances; Automobile; Apparel, Accessories & Consumer Goods; Food & Agricultural Products; Medical Equipment & Medical Care Products. The section of trade in services comprises 7 exhibition areas: Emerging technology, Service Outsourcing, Creative Design, Culture & Education, Tourism service, Logistics service and Comprehensive service.
6.Highlights of CIIEReply: 1. China is a huge market where the consumption and import grow rapidly. With the world’s largest population, China is the second largest economy, as well as the second largest importer and consumer in the world. Now China has entered a new development stage at which consumption keeps increasing, indicating enormous potential for the growth of consumption and import. In the next five years, China is expected to import products and services valuing more than 10 trillion U.S. dollars, which provides a historic opportunity for enterprises across the world to enter the huge Chinese market. 2. As a trade center of China, Shanghai boasts an ideal location. Located in the Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone, Shanghai enjoys favorable location advantage, great economic strength, well-developed service industries and the ability to allocate global resources. The container throughput of Shanghai Port has been ranking the first place for seven consecutive years. The passenger throughput of airport exceeds 100 million, with flight network covering 282 cities around the world. 3. The large exhibition is equipped with diversified and targeted supporting activities. Enterprises from over 100 countries and regions are expected to participate in the first CIIE. Supporting activities such as supply-demand matchmaking meetings, seminars and product releases will be held during the Expo. 4. Multiple measures will guarantee all-round and effective service. The CIIE will facilitate participation in terms of customs clearance, inspection and quarantine, provide long-term one-stop transaction services online and offline, and strengthen protection of intellectual property rights to safeguard the rights and interests of merchants. 5. There is strong purchase demand and a large number of professional purchasers. The CIIE will invite Chinese enterprises from across country to come to do business in the unit of province, autonomous region and municipality directly under the central government. Merchants from numerous countries will also be invited to the Expo.
7.Overview of the venueReply: The National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) is located in the core area of Shanghai Hongqiao Business District, 1.5 km away from Hongqiao Transportation Hub. It is linked to Hongqiao Airport and Hongqiao Railway Station via highways and the city’s metro line. NECC (Shanghai) is the world’s largest single block building and exhibition complex with a total construction area of nearly 1.5 million ㎡. Facilities at NECC (Shanghai) include exhibition halls, the commercial plaza, office buildings and a hotel. It has a total area of 500,000 ㎡, including 400,000 ㎡ indoor exhibition hall and 100,000 ㎡ outdoor area, with fully-equipped conference rooms surround the exhibition halls.
8.Main exhibitions held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) in recent years:Reply: About 100 world-class exhibitions, including Meeting of the BRICS Trade Ministers, have been held in the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) since 2015. Nearly 70 exhibitions were held in 2017 with an exhibition area of about 4.7 million ㎡ and about 4.3 million merchants from all over the world were received throughout the year. These exhibitions mainly include Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition, China International Industry Fair, THIS(the Health Industry Summit), China International Trade fair for Apparel Fabrics and Accessories, China International Fashion Fair, Shanghai International Fashion Parenting Industry Fair, China (Shanghai) International Furniture Fair, Shanghai International Auto Parts Exhibition, etc.
A: The full name of the forum is Hongqiao International Economic Forum or Hongqiao Forum.
2. What is the background and purpose of the forum?A: The Hongqiao International Economic Forum is held on November 5 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). At the first forum, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech entitled “Work Together for an Open Global Economy That is Innovative and Inclusive.”
Following the new trend of global economic development, the forum focuses on the new challenges of global economic development and highlights open, innovation-oriented, inclusive, balanced and win-win development. It provides a high-end dialogue platform for governments, the business community and academia worldwide to tackle risks and challenges, pursue cooperation and development, offer advice and suggestions, seek the way forward for the world economy, put forward the “Hongqiao wisdom” and “Hongqiao proposals”, promote the sustained and healthy economic development, create a better business environment for enterprises, and bring more benefits to the people.
3. Who are the sponsors, organizers and cooperative units of the forum?A: The forum is sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China and the People’s Government of Shanghai Municipality, and organized by China International Import Expo Bureau and the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). The cooperative units are the World Trade Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and International Trade Centre.
4. What is the overview of the Third Hongqiao International Economic Forum?A: The 3rd Hongqiao International Economic Forum was held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) on November 4, 2020. President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote video speech. Han Zheng, Vice Premier of the State Council, Hu Chunhua, Vice Premier of the State Council; and Li Qiang, Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the CPC, attended the conference in Shanghai in person. Leaders of relevant countries and heads of international organizations attended the opening ceremony online or in person.
I. Exhibition conditions
Enterprise & Business Exhibition is an important part of CIIE and a platform for overseas enterprises to display overseas goods, technologies and services. Enterprises and institutions registered outside the customs area of the People’s Republic of China (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, China) are welcomed to participate.
※ Authorized by overseas enterprises, domestic enterprises (such as domestic subsidiaries, agents, partners, etc.) can handle matters on behalf of overseas enterprises within the scope of authorization. Relevant display and publicity must be carried out in the name of overseas enterprises.
II. Introduction on exhibition areas
CIIE Enterprise & Business Exhibition is divided into six exhibition areas: Food and Agricultural Products, Automobile, Intelligent Industry & Information Technology, Consumer Goods, Medical Equipment & Healthcare Products, and Trade in Services. According to the domestic import needs and industrial development trend, each area is further divided into different sectors and special sections, which will be constantly optimized.
1. Food and agricultural products area
Range of Exhibits: Fruits and vegetables and agricultural products, dairy products, snack foods, sweets, condiments, beverages and wines, meat, aquatic products, frozen foods, comprehensive foods (including pet food), crop seed industry (including breeding or cultivation techniques; seed industry R&D innovation; agricultural machinery; pesticide, micro fertilizer; seeds of crops such as rice, wheat, melons and fruits, vegetables, flowers and plants) etc.
Special section: dairy products, agricultural products and crop seed industry
2. Automobile area
Range of Exhibits: Passenger cars, commercial vehicles, concept vehicles, new energy vehicles, off-road vehicles, motorcycles, smart mobility products and technologies (new energy, automatic driving product technologies and solutions, smart transportation, future mobility, intelligent Internet connection, etc.), automotive parts and auto electronics (drive part, chassis part, body part, lightweight, auto interior, on-board system, etc.), automobile supporting products and maintenance supplies (automobile aftermarket, testing and diagnostic equipment, lubricating oil, etc.), automobile culture and design (classic cars, automobile modification, automobile design, automobile consumption and derivatives, etc.), automobile sports and competitions, automobile lifestyle, etc.
Special section: smart mobility
3. Intelligent industry & information technology area
Range of Exhibits:
Digital industry: automation, robotics, industrial solutions;
Integrated circuit: design, manufacturing, sealing test, equipment and materials of chip;
Energy, low-carbon and environmental protection technology: mining metallurgy, petrochemical industry, new materials, new energy, electric power, water treatment, environmental protection technology and equipment;
AI: human-computer interaction, database, Internet of Things, communications;
Optical printing: wide-format printer, digital composite machine, label machine, scanner, 3D laser scanning equipment, professional film and television equipment, industrial measurement, microscopy technology;
Others: metal cutting, metal plate, measurement and parts, aerospace, high-tech ships, construction machinery, etc.
Special section: low-carbon energy and environmental protection technology, digital industrial automation, integrated circuit, artificial intelligence
4. Consumer goods area
Range of Exhibits: Facial care and make-up, other personal care and daily chemical products, consumer electronics and household appliances, home furnishings and design, fashion clothing and accessories, gemstones and jewelry, sporting goods, sports events and e-sports, etc.
Special section: beauty and cosmetics, fashion clothing and accessories, sporting and events, green and intelligent home appliances and furnishing
5. Medical equipment & healthcare products area
Range of Exhibits: Drugs, medical devices, dietary supplements, and others：medical cosmetology, health tourism, medical technology and services, health care, etc.
Special section: rehab and elderly care, public health and epidemic prevention
6. Trade in services area
Trade in productive services: financial services (banking, insurance, asset management, etc.), consulting services (design, information technology, inspection and testing, etc.), logistics services, supply chain management, comprehensive services
Trade in life services: services in culture, tourism, education, entertainment and licensing
III. How to register
Enterprises (institutions) that register for the CIIE for the first time may register an account on the official website of the CIIE and submit information of the company and registration. When approved, the staff will contact you.
Enterprises (institutions) that have registered for the previous CIIEs can log in to the existing accounts to submit the registration information without re-registration, or directly contact CIIE staff to register.
Registration: “Business Exhibition - Registration” section of CIIE official website
E-mail: exhibition@ciie.org
Hotline: +86-21-968888 (Bilingual in Chinese and English, round-the-clock service)
2. Registration channels
1) Register through CIIE official website.
2) Call the CIIE hotline for consultation and registration.
3) Contact with the specialized service agencies approved by CIIE at home and abroad. Small and medium-sized enterprises can contact local organizers to sign up for the Expo in group. Details on:
https://www.ciie.org/zbh/cn/19BusinessEx/display/ExOrg/
4) Register at all kinds of offline activities or on site of the previous session.
3. Registration feedback
After the successful registration on the official website, the staff will contact you by email or phone as soon as possible.
4. Registration deadline
CIIE is held from November 5 to 10 every year, and the deadline for registration is May 30.
IV. Exhibition fees
1. Rent for standard booth and raw space.
Price for indoor booth:
Standard booth: USD 3,000 or RMB 21,000 each (9 m²)
Raw space: USD 330 or RMB 2,310 / m² (36 m² at minimum)
Price for outdoor booth:
Raw space: USD 220 or RMB 1,540 / m² (36 m² at minimum)
The raw space requires a minimum of 36 square meters. If you want a smaller space, a standard booth is recommended. The sponsor will make overall arrangement and allocation of booths according to the professional subdivision planning of each special area, the scale of enterprises, the influence of the industry, the size of the booth, the subdivision category of exhibits, etc.
2. Favorable price
Exhibitors who sign the Exhibition Contract before January 31, 2022 can enjoy 10% discount of booth fee.
If exhibitors reserve a certain area of booth before January 31, and wish to increase the area after January 31, they can still enjoy the early bird price for the added part.
3. Payment time nodes
After registration and approval by the China International Import Expo Bureau, exhibitors will sign the Exhibition Contract with China International Import Expo Bureau to reserve the booth. The payment time of booth fee will be specified in the contract.
4. Preferential policies
According to Notice on Preferential Tax Policies for Imported Exhibits Sold during CIIE (Finance-Customs-Taxation [2020] No. 38) jointly issued by the Ministry of Finance, the General Administration of Customs and the State Taxation Administration, import duties, import value-added tax and consumption tax shall be exempted for a reasonable number of imported exhibits sold during the CIIE. Please refer to the notice for details.
http://gss.mof.gov.cn/gzdt/zhengcefabu/202010/t20201013_3602959.htm
V. Booth preparation
1. Time for preparation
Generally speaking, exhibitors can construct their booths and arrange exhibits from late October to early November. For the specific date, please refer to Time Arrangement of CIIE released on the official website (generally released after March of the same year).
2. How to build a booth
The standard booth will be set up uniformly, the cost of which will be included in the booth fee. A construction service provider shall be selected for raw space renters from the list of recommended service providers of CIIE, or an unlisted provider may be introduced.
3. Application and specific requirements for activities in the booth
Activities that may attract crowd in the booth requires an advanced application in the CIIE exhibitor service system, and can be held only with an approval.
For other questions about booth construction and exhibits admission, please refer to the Exhibitor's Manual (generally released between May and July of the same year).
VI. How to become an overseas organizer
We welcome industrial and regional institutions from all countries (regions) around the world who have the will, the ability to organize exhibitions and abide by the exhibition policies to assist in the recruitment of Enterprises & Business Exhibition. Details can be obtained from exhibition@ciie.org. Overseas institutions can directly contact the business institutions of local Chinese embassies.
VII. Personnel admission
1. Requirements for personnel admission
Those who have reached the age of 18 must register in the system with their real name before the designated date of the same year, enter with their real name certificates, and abide by the epidemic prevention regulations of the same year.
2. Exhibitor admission fee
A certain number of vacancies will be arranged according to the booth space. RMB 200 will be charged for exhibitors without seat.
VIII. Professional visitors
1. What measures will CIIE take to invite professional visitors?
It will adhere to the principle of “government plus market”, organize 39 trading groups and hundreds of trading subgroups, and recruit professional audiences by region and industry. Dozens of investment promotion roadshows and pre-exhibition supply and demand docking meetings are held every year, covering all exhibition areas. During the CIIE, various on-site supporting activities (including trade and investment matchmaking meetings) are held, including policy interpretation, matchmaking and signing, new product release, investment promotion, research release, etc., to attract professional audiences from government, industry, universities and research institutes.
2. representative professional audiences
Each year, CIIE invites hundreds of thousands of professional audiences from various industries, as well as important buyers with great influence, strong purchasing power and high attention recommended by the central enterprise trading group, the trading group of National Health Commission, local trading groups and exhibitors.
For details: https://www.ciie.org/buy/front/index
3. Professional audience invitation by exhibitors
Exhibitors may invite enterprise and individual visitors to the CIIE. Enterprise visitors shall register a purchaser account on the official website of the Expo [https://www.ciie.org/ciie/f/visitor/pre-book] to sign up. Individual visitors may apply for certificates directly through the exhibitor’s account. The certificate costs RMB 200 / person (the whole Expo) or RMB 100 / person (the second half of the Expo)
Reply: Visitors at the 1st China International Import Expo are divided into two categories: professional visitors, and social visitors with appointments.
Professional visitors include domestic and overseas buyers, as well as professionals from domestic and overseas government bureaus, public institutions and social organizations. Professional visitors are divided into two categories: trading delegation professionals and independent professionals, depending on whether they are in a trading delegation. Visitors at the 1st China International Import Expo are mainly members from the trading delegations of provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, cities specifically designated in the state plan and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (regional delegations), as well as central enterprise delegations.
Social visitors with appointments are the general social public with the intent to visit the 1st China International Import Expo, and they should have passed appointment verification.
2.How do professional visitors register for the Expo?Reply: Professional visitors can register online for the Expo at the official site (www.ciie.org)- “Buyer” – “Registration”. After registration, you can look up relevant information at “Buyer” – “Visitor Sign Up”.
Trading delegations enjoy priority registration, and online registration for delegations has already opened. Professional visitors without a delegation or sub-delegation member identity at the moment can apply to join one of the delegations or sub-delegations to finish online registration.
Online registration for independent professional visitors without a delegation member identity will open in the future. For more updates, please follow the official site and the official WeChat account of the China International Import Expo.
All professional visitors must register online in advance, as the 1st China International Import Expo does not take on-site registration.
3.What matters should trading delegations pay attention to during registration?Reply: Professional delegation visitors, including buyers, government officials, experts and scholars, and industrial organization professionals, need invitation codes to finish their registration at the CIIE official site.
The invitation codes are distributed according to the procedures of the China International Import Expo Bureau to the secretariats of trading delegations or sub-delegations, and then offered to professional visitors within the delegations by secretariats.
Invitation codes are exclusive for the specific trading delegations or sub-delegations. Invitation codes for delegations have a logical connection with those of their sub-delegations, and can be used by delegation secretariats for information lookup, the examining and management of professional visitors within the delegation, subsidiary sub-delegations and professional visitors within these sub-delegations. Sub-delegation secretariats can perform information lookup, examination and management of professional visitors within the sub-delegations using the invitation codes.
4.How do professional visitors apply to join a trading delegation?Reply: Trading delegations of the 1st CIIE are mainly from provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, cities specifically designated in the state plan and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (regional delegations), as well as central enterprise delegations.
General professional visitors can apply to regional trading delegation secretariats for a delegation member identity according to the territoriality principle, acquire an invitation code and perform according to the delegation’s orders. Regional delegation secretariats are normally under the management of the provincial commercial departments.
Professional visitors with relationships with central enterprises can apply to central enterprise sub-delegation secretariats to join the trading sub-delegations according to their affiliations, acquire an invitation code and perform according to the sub-delegation’s orders. Central enterprise sub-delegation secretariats are normally under the management of the central enterprise headquarters.
We will post the contact information of relevant delegations as soon as possible.
5.Do professional visitors with an invitation need to register online?Reply:Yes. The invitation code only refers to the association between the professional visitor and the delegation or sub-delegation; so the professional visitor should register online at the CIIE official website, provide relevant enterprise information and the personal information of the purchaser, and wait for the application to be verified before going to the Expo to visit and making purchases.
6.How do general public visitors register to visit the CIIE?Reply: The 1st China International Import Expo only takes general public visitors’ visitations when they have made appointments and have passed verification. For more appointment details yet to be published, please follow the CIIE official website and the official WeChat account.
The 1st CIIE cannot accept visitations from general public visitors without verified appointments.
Reply: During the Expo, relevant departments of Chinese government will energetically provide various guarantees and convenient services for clearance of exhibiters and exhibits.
2.How to apply for relevant certificates?Reply: During the Expo, a certificate center will be set up to render certificate services for exhibiters and purchasers. Please refer to the exhibiters’ manual (offered after obtaining the exhibiters’ qualification) for details.
3.Is there a green channel for entry visa into China during the Expo?Reply: The sponsor will negotiate with relevant embassies and consulates in China to offer visa services for foreign exhibiters who have passed the qualification check, and for the successful-registered purchasers from various countries to render necessary assistance and support.
4.Can exhibition expenses be settled in RMB?Reply: During the Expo, all exhibition, service and other relevant expenses can be settled in RMB or other international currencies.
5.Will the organizer appoint specific service providers, e.g., logistics, custom clearance, booth construction, advertisement, etc.?Reply: CIIE will appoint specific service providers, of which the final directory will be released after confirmation. Please pay attention to the official website.
Reply: The General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC) issued the Measures of the Customs of the People’s Republic of China for Goods Temporarily Imported or Exportedin December of 2017 [No. 233 Decree of GACC] to stipulate the import and export of exhibits.
For specific procedures ofclearing different exhibits, you may consult the official freight forwarders of the expo and entrust them to go through the procedures.
2. What procedures are required for exhibits to be transferred to other expositions after the Expo?Reply:To transfer the exhibits to other exposition(s) after CIIE, the exhibitor is required to provide the approval(s) of the exposition(s) in question.
Reply:Entry exhibits and other non-tradable goods are exempted from inspection.
2. How can we declare the exhibits arriving by mail or express delivery or carried into China by person for inspection and quarantine?Reply:You may declare the exhibits at the joint check points at the venue.
3. What are thelimits of quantity or value of products for tasting at the event?Reply:A moderate number of exhibits are allowed to be consumed during the expo（exhibition）. Please refer to the Administrative Measures on Supervision of Inspection and Quarantine of Entry-Exit Exhibits[2017 No.105 Decree]published by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China (AQSIQ) in December, 2017 for details.
Reply:The expo will select a group of premium service providers in the industries for the exhibitors to selectto facilitate the participation. The name list and the contacts will be released on the expo’s official website and through other channels. Please stay tuned.
2. What criteria should the exhibitors raw space contractorsmeet if the exhibitors wantthey tobring their own constructors contractorsto the site? WhaReply: We recommend that the exhibitors select their contractorsfrom the list of recommended providers in the Exhibitor’s Manual that has been released (standard booths will be built by the official constructors). Those exhibitors who intend to engagea contractorother than that in the list are required to file an application to the competent department of the expo and provide related documents (more specific requirements will be released later).
In addition, the booth set-up shall comply with relevant laws and regulations of the People’s Republic of China and provisions in the Exhibitor’s Manual, including fire safety management, safe production management and utilities safety management. Those exhibitors who choose to select the contractorsother than those in the list shall pay the deposit for the site and related costs to the expo.
3. Is there any dedicated security service for high unit price but small exhibits, such as jewelries?Reply:The Organizeris studying on and formulating plansand measures for professional supporting security services. Please follow more information on our official website.
4. We hope that the HostsOrganizermay display detailed information, drawings and photos and promotional videos of the venue posted in conspicuous locaReply:The expo’s official website has posted related information. In the section of “About Us,” there are venue information and promotional videos. The news videos can be found in the News section.
Reply:National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) (NECC) has hosted a wealth of large expos with huge flow of visitors in a safe and orderly manner, such as China International Medical Equipment Fair and Auto Shanghai.As of now, the venue may receive 197,000 visitors at the maximum in a single day.