The China International Import Expo (CIIE), one of the country's largest annual trade fairs, is expecting more multinational companies to attend its fourth version, which will be held in Shanghai in November.

President Xi Jinping has encouraged the United States company Starbucks to play a positive role in promoting China-US economic and trade cooperation and bilateral ties. Xi made the remark in a reply letter to Howard Schultz, Starbucks Corp chairman emeritus. The letter, dated Jan 6, was made public on Jan 14.

China has become one of the most popular investment destinations due to its large market, complete industrial chain, abundant labor force, well-established infrastructure, and its continuous efforts to open up and improve business environment.

As the first national-level expo centered on import, the CIIE provides a platform on which companies from all over the world can share in their benefits, said Leo Tsoi, chief operating officer of Starbucks China, on the sidelines of the third CIIE held in November 2020.

The third expo's success in spite of the coronavirus pandemic was also strong evidence of China's effectiveness in containing the virus and the resilience of its economy, Tsoi added.

Starbucks has been the official coffee supplier for the CIIE for three consecutive years since 2018. At the third expo, the company set up two booths selling its products for the first time.

China is Starbucks' second largest market with over 4,700 coffee shops in 185 cities. According to John Culver, Starbucks group president of international, channel development and global coffee, tea and cocoa, the company plans to open 600 more shops in the fiscal year of 2021.