Quality Life in a Shared Future

by Zhou Xin

A famous line from Analects of Confucius goes， “It is such a delight to have friends coming from afar.”The second China International Import Expo （CIIE） was held in Shanghai from November 5 to 10， 2019. China continues to increase its opening up and share the fruits of development. Chinas efforts to organize the expo are helping foreign enterprises explore the Chinese market and find more opportunities while at the same time providing Chinese consumers easier access to quality global products that can improve their lives.

Chinese President Xi Jinping remarked in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the second CIIE， “The Chinese people often say， ‘The world is a big place， and I want to see just more of it. What I want to say to you today is that the Chinese market is such a big one that you should all come and see what it has to offer.”

“I have faith in the bright prospects of Chinas economic development. Chinas development， viewed through the lens of history， is an integral part of the lofty cause of human progress. China will reach out its arms and offer countries in the world more opportunities of market， investment and growth. Together， we can achieve development for all，” he added.

A Better Expo

“It is our sincere commitment to open the Chinese market，” Xi pledged at the opening ceremony of the first CIIE last year. “The CIIE， an event to be held on an annual basis， will feature good performance， good results and continued success in the years to come.”

Following the success of the first expo， this years event improved comprehensively. According to statistics， the second CIIE was attended by 181 countries， regions， and international organizations. Over 3，800 enterprises from various trades and professions joined. Exhibits including high-end equipment， smart household appliances and delicious foods from all over the world provided Chinese traders with numerous opportunities and amazed Chinese visitors with opportunities to taste exotic delicacies. Chinas ministries and local governments sent 39 trading delegations to the second expo， far more than last year. The total exhibition area expanded to over 360，000 square meters. Compared with the first CIIE， the average booth space for each exhibitor increased from 74 to 90 square meters， and the number of countries designated as guests of honor increased from 12 to 15. One in three countries joining the country exhibition was new to the expo.

The day the second CIIE concluded， Sun Chenghai， deputy director of the CIIE Bureau， announced that a total of US$71.13 billion worth of tentative deals had been reached for one-year purchases of goods and services during the event， up 23 percent from the previous expo.

Upon the conclusion of the second edition， a clock started counting down seconds until next event and a new registration link appeared on the official website of the CIIE. Sun has previously revealed that recruiting work for the third expo has already begun and so far 115 companies from around the world have signed up for exhibition booths with a total area of more than 60，000 square meters. Chinas resolve to expand opening up and promote win-win cooperation is clear. As President Xi pointed out in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia in 2018， “Chinas door will not close but only open wider.”

Lucky Clover

The National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai resembles a giant silver four-leaf clover when viewed from the sky. Each “leaf” of the venue offered a great variety of products. The seven major exhibition areas covered Trade in Services， Automobile， Equipment， Sci-tech Life， Lifestyles， Medical Equipment & Health Care Products， and Food & Agricultural Products. Dazzling exhibition booths set each other off with cool exhibits and great functionality.

In the Equipment section， cutting-edge devices from around the world were displayed including a set of robotic arms assembling an automobile. Five large robotic arms moved quickly and efficiently to assemble the car. The equipment was made by a Japanese robotics maker. According to a representative from the Japanese company， their products are mostly used by Japanese automobile companies operating in China. He expressed hope that his first trip to the CIIE would attract more Chinese carmakers to use the equipment his company provides.

Recently China has been promoting new measures for garbage sorting and recycling. Many people are finding the extremely detailed rules for garbage classification difficult to navigate. In the Sci-tech Life section， a thoughtful German software and business solution provider came up with a smart assistant for sorting garbage. A small device scans a piece of garbage to suggest how it should be disposed. Users can also classify the garbage by following its official WeChat account and uploading a picture. The product and service in tandem can make the sorting process more convenient and time-saving.

As the living standards of Chinese people improve， the requirements for the quality of drinking water have also risen. Devices offering purified water are booming in communities all over China. The chief representative of an Israeli company in China believes that such devices have many shortcomings. Some devices are vulnerable to bacteria and other sources of pollution， jugs are a waste of resources， and transportation of water requires logistics costs. The electricity or diesel-powered water machine built by his company， however， produces clean drinking water， without the need for a conventional water supply. Moreover， the device produces water so easily that its operation shows particular promise for conditions such as in the aftermath of a major disaster.

“Hongqiao Wisdom” Powering the World Economy

“Improvement in global governance requires strengthening dialogue between civilizations，”remarked Du Zhanyuan， president of China International Publishing Group， at a sub-forum themed“Chinas 70 Years of Development and Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind” at the second Hongqiao International Economic Forum. He dubbed people-to-people exchange the most basic and effective measure for global governance in this era. Global governance is significant to the interests of all countries and the well-being of the people. While human hearts wield the greatest political power， dialogue between civilizations is the most basic， solid and sustained value and power of the international community. Civilization dialogue can lay the foundation for reform and improvement of the global governance system to increase its benefits.

The second Hongqiao International Economic Forum was held in Shanghai on November 5. It consisted of one major forum and five sub-forums. Guests from political， business and academic circles around the world conducted in-depth discussions on topics such as Chinas contributions to the world， global economic growth and the Belt and Road Initiative. More than 3，600 guests from official delegations of over 130 countries and regions， international organizations， exhibitors and purchasers joined people from political， commercial and academic circles to attend the event.

Chen Chao， deputy director of the Department of International Trade and Economic Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce， explained that the forum aims to capitalize on new trends of the world economy， tackle new challenges facing global economic development， highlight open development and innovation and explore paths and prospects for revitalization of the world economy through“Hongqiao Wisdom” found in the“Hongqiao Proposal.”

A rule-based multilateral trade system is the foundation of economic globalization and free trade， according to Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan， Special Envoy of the President and Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs of Indonesia. He added that Indonesia supports necessary reform of the World Trade Organization in line with the value of the multilateral trading system through strengthened regulations. Doing so is the only path to a stable and predictable future for international trade.

Arancha Gonzalez， executive director of the International Trade Center， stated that e-commerce has revolutionized relations between purchasers and sellers while maximizing value on both sides. Future development of e-commerce requires sound global regulation. It is good news that China， the United States and the European Union are engaging in constant efforts to formulate rules for emerging realms such as cyber security.

Peter Mwangi Kagwanja， president and chief executive of Africa Policy Institute in Kenya， noted that there had never been a country with 1.4 billion people making such an achievement as China did. China has become a leader in globalization， and its development manifests that civilizations can coexist and that modernization requires diverse development. No universal development mode can be applied to all countries.