CIIE critical platform for China market

As foreign manufacturers seek to navigate shifting global trade patterns and increasingly complex supply chains, the 9th China International Import Expo has emerged as a key platform to introduce new technologies tailored to market needs and deepen industrial cooperation across Asia and beyond, said market watchers and foreign business executives.

The six-day CIIE, which opened in Shanghai on Thursday, is bringing together foreign manufacturers seeking to tap into China's vast consumer market, sophisticated industrial supply chains and growing research and development capabilities.

Yu Peng, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing, said China's expanding innovation capabilities and extensive industrial ecosystem are enabling foreign companies to collaborate with local partners, accelerate technology development and bring innovative products to markets worldwide.

Danish industrial group Danfoss is showcasing energy-efficient technologies in data center cooling, industrial decarbonization and electrification at the expo this year.

Danfoss, a seven-time CIIE participant, announced on Wednesday that it will expand its green refrigerants compressors laboratory by 6,000 square meters in Wuqing district, Tianjin, with construction starting in early 2027.

Arthur Xu, president of Danfoss China, said that as China advances high-quality development and nurtures new quality productive forces, it will open up significant opportunities.

German technology group Bosch is also showcasing physical artificial intelligence applications, smart mobility and energy-efficient home technologies at the expo, highlighting China's growing role as a global hub for industrial innovation and advanced manufacturing.

Xu Daquan, president of Bosch China, said that China's open and dynamic market creates opportunities for companies operating in the country to grow and innovate.

"At the same time, China is an important source of innovation for Bosch globally. The innovations we develop here are shared across our global R&D, manufacturing and delivery network and brought to other markets as demand evolves," he added.

Alongside its latest product offerings, the German firm has been expanding cooperation with Chinese automakers — including Chery and Geely — to bring advanced driver assistance technologies to markets overseas, connecting China's innovation capabilities with its global engineering and manufacturing network.

As this year's CIIE takes place in the first year of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), Ji Wenhua, a professor of economics at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, said the country's vast domestic market and policy priorities — including technological innovation, boosting domestic demand, green transition and further opening-up — will drive substantial growth across industries worldwide.

Beyond industrial manufacturing, agritech is also emerging as a key area of innovation and international cooperation at the CIIE. Switzerland-based Syngenta Group is showcasing AI-assisted crop breeding, biological crop protection solutions and progress at its two research and technology innovation centers in Shanghai and Hefei, Anhui province.

Su Fu, president of Syngenta Group China, said China's diverse agricultural conditions, extensive research talent and ability to commercialize new technologies are helping the company develop solutions to challenges facing farmers worldwide, including rising food demand, extreme weather and growing pressure on natural resources.

The group's growing global reach is also reflected in its rice business, with varieties developed by its Chinese subsidiaries sold in more than 30 countries. Its agricultural value chain business is also expanding international trade in products ranging from soybeans to coffee, with agreements worth more than $800 million signed with Chinese and overseas grain trading companies during this year's expo.

zhongnan@chinadaily.com.cn