President Xi to attend opening ceremony of China's 1st import expo

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony of the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai on Nov. 5, a senior official said Monday.

Xi will deliver a keynote speech at the ceremony and visit the country pavilions with foreign leaders, Vice Commerce Minister Fu Ziying told a press conference.

The president and his wife Peng Liyuan will host a welcoming banquet on Nov. 4, and he will meet heads of state and government during the CIIE which runs from Nov. 5 to 10, Fu said.

The CIIE, the world's first import-themed national-level expo, is proposed and announced by Xi himself, and will feature exhibitions of countries and businesses and the Hongqiao International Economic and Trade Forum, Fu said.

A total of 82 countries and three international organizations will showcase their achievements in economic and trade development as well as competitive products at 71 booths which cover an area of about 30,000 square meters, the vice minister said.

For the exhibition of businesses, more than 3,000 companies from over 130 countries have confirmed participation in the expo, with a total booth area of 270,000 square meters, he said.

The Hongqiao International Economic and Trade Forum, with a theme of "spurring new vitality of global trade, creating an open and win-win scenario," will be attended by over 2,000 government officials, international organization leaders, renowned entrepreneurs and academics from over 130 countries and regions, Fu said.

Its three parallel sessions, with focus on trade and opening, trade and innovation, and trade and investment, respectively, will discuss such major issues as the new impetus for economic globalization and the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment, he said.

"We believe the CIIE will help countries showcase their national image as well as serve as an open platform for cooperation in international trade," Fu said. "The expo will help advance economic globalization."