As a domestic partner to recruit exhibitors for the China International Import Expo (CIIE) Bureau, Lingang Group created a vibrant Lingang Exhibition Area at the 7th CIIE. Within a 2,700-square-meter space, it has brought together 68 foreign brand clusters, showcasing its strong appeal.

"Appearing in the form of an entire industry cluster is unique at the CIIE," said Michaela Yang, CFO of Shanghai Lingang Economic Development (Group) CO.,Limited and Chairwoman of Shanghai Lingang Overseas Development Co.,Limited. This approach allowed many enterprises along the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain to quickly "break through barriers".

Lingang Exhibition Area at the CIIE. Source: Lingang Group

Studio, café, meeting area... the design here is ingenious, resembling a miniature vibrant city, allowing the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain to naturally interact, making visitors "see the forest rather than just a single tree".

POOLING RESOURCES FOR NEW OPPORTUNITIES

When dispersed resources converge at the CIIE ecosystem, new opportunities grow continuously like vines. Finnish company Wärtsilä, which produces marine engines, unexpectedly met shipowners from Singapore, South Korea, and Canada during the 6th CIIE when they first exhibited in Lingang Exhibition Area. 

These unexpected partners surprised Wärtsilä's Deputy Managing Director Yue Wen, who expressed his astonishment. After the CIIE, both parties stayed in touch, and Wärtsilä ultimately secured a historic order from South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries for automotive transport ships.

AXA Tianping's booth at the CIIE. Source: AXA Tianping

AXA Tianping, which has been deeply rooted in China for 26 years, has appeared in the Lingang Exhibition Area at the CIIE for two consecutive years. During the 6th CIIE, AXA Tianping successfully signed the first International Reinsurance Inward Treaty of the Shanghai International Reinsurance Registration and Trading Center. Through this framework agreement, the company undertakes reinsurance business by assuming risk portfolios transferred by overseas insurance companies that meet the contract's specifications. This move is a concrete step in advancing the transformation and upgrading of China's reinsurance market towards "two-way opening-up".

Pierre Laur, Chief Financial Officer of AXA Tianping, said that the CIIE is a significant initiative by China to open its market to the world, serving as an important platform to promote and deepen high-quality development in trade, investment, and consumption between China and foreign countries. It is a practical action by China to promote the construction of an open world economy and support economic globalization. The CIIE has also become an important stage witnessing the reform and opening-up of AXA Tianping and the insurance industry as a whole.

Within the exhibition halls, opportunities abound, and there are also "ecological coincidences". Two previously unacquainted upstream and downstream companies unexpectedly met at the CIIE exhibition booth. During production, the core components of each company's products had long been intricately interlocked with the other's. This unique "online-to-offline meeting" instantly completed a crucial piece of the industry chain puzzle.

"Many companies have been puzzled about their position in the vast industrial chain. Here, they clearly see where the upstream is and who the downstream is," said Michaela Yang.

Guan Yu, Bosch home comfort Group president of China and SEA and former Group Vice President of Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning Holding (UK) Ltd., resonated deeply with this sentiment. He said, "here, almost all potential customers for our service solutions are practically standing in front of us. The CIIE is not just a bridge for supply and demand matching, but also a magnetic field for intelligent collisions and a fertile ground for capability integration."

Hitachi Air Conditioning's booth at the CIIE. Source: Hitachi Air Conditioning

Over 30 years ago, Hitachi Air Conditioning rode the wave of globalization to enter China, experiencing a transition from "globalization" to "localization," and now to "glocalization". This means that Hitachi Air Conditioning has not only established and operated production bases and service systems tailored to local needs in China but has also deeply integrated into the group's global industrial and supply chain networks, serving both the Chinese and global markets. The company is now focused on building the closed-loop capabilities of regional center.

Guan emphasized that no single enterprise can provide comprehensive services to customers in the future. It is necessary to create the most value for customers at the lowest cost through capability integration and ecosystem co-construction. The CIIE is an excellent platform for building this ecosystem.

With a rapidly expanding circle of friends and efficiently integrated industrial chains, the gravitational field released by the CIIE is becoming increasingly powerful. As the 7th CIIE drew to a close, industry-leading companies such as ProMinent and Lenze have already booked booths for the 8th CIIE. Even more encouraging is the emergence of a self-growth effect. Yang said that participating companies are spontaneously transmitting the value of the CIIE to their industrial chain partners, attracting potential collaborators to come.

TEAMING UP TO EXPLORE NEW HORIZONS

The "Lingang Legion" that marched together brought more than 10 "veteran" foreign-funded enterprises with independent exhibition areas, along with 30 overseas enterprises recommended by foreign chambers of commerce that have not yet entered the Chinese market, immersing themselves in the vast opportunities of the Chinese market.

During the 7th CIIE, Mizuho Bank and Mizuho Bank (China), Ltd. led nine Japanese companies that had not yet entered the Chinese market to participate for the first time.

Kentaro Maruki, Operating Officer and General Manager of the China Business Promotion Department at Mizuho Bank, Ltd., attends the opening ceremony of the 7th CIIE. Source: Mizuho Bank

For these companies exploring the Chinese market, the international stage of the CIIE was truly impressive. According to Kentaro Maruki, Operating Officer and General Manager of the China Business Promotion Department at Mizuho Bank, Ltd., the CIIE is not only an excellent showcase for products and a high ground for brands that attract global attention, but also a valuable gateway for business expansion, offering a vast space for in-depth exchanges with potential partners and sparking collaborative opportunities.

ROBOTBANK, a Japanese company, is a vivid example. Through its connection with Mizuho, and after multiple rounds of in-depth discussions on strategies for the Chinese market, it ultimately decided to establish itself in the Lingang Special Area, thus embarking on a new journey of development in China.

From Finnish Wärtsilä securing a historic order to AXA Tianping leading industry breakthroughs, and the serendipitous encounters between upstream and downstream companies... These industrial "unexpected encounters" are unfolding one after another in the Lingang Exhibition Area. The CIIE continues to highlight the power of deep integration and open exchanges, becoming a fertile ground for foreign enterprises to expand global cooperation networks, deepen localization, and explore transformation paths.

Disclaimer

The information in this article is compiled from materials provided by relevant parties participating in the CIIE and media reports,  with the CIIE Bureau objectively compiling relevant content. The CIIE Bureau does not take responsibility for disputes or losses arising from the following circumstances: deviations in expression due to outdated information updates; readers' subjective judgments or actions based on this article; unauthorized alteration or dissemination of the content by third parties.