Year-ender: Major investment and trade fairs

2022 was an extraordinary year, but China's expos and exhibitions achieved a good performance.

These events demonstrated that China has made efforts to integrate into the world economy and promote common prosperity and international cooperation.

They also showed that China has profound economic prospects and market potential, which can provide more opportunities for the world.

Now, let's take a look at them, one by one.

The China International Import Expo

The fifth China International Import Expo or CIIE was held in Shanghai as scheduled this year, from Nov 5-10.

This year's expo set new records in a wide range of fields with over 145 countries and regions participating. The value of tentative deals for one-year purchases of goods and services at the CIIE reached $73.52 billion, up by 3.9 percent from last year.

A total of 438 premier debuts, technologies and services from 2,800 companies in 127 countries and regions were first launched at the expo, exceeding the number from last year.

These numbers reflect the success of the fifthCIIE, and about 100,000 square meters of exhibition space has already been booked for next year's event.

Canton Fair

This year the China Import and Export Fair, or Canton Fair, was held twice online – the 131st edition from April 15 to 24, and the 132nd edition from Oct 15 to 24.

About 950,000 items from sectors such as food, medicine, healthcare, sports, tourism and leisure, toys and office products made their debut at the 131st event, and a total of 536,000 overseas buyers from 228 countries and regions participated in the event. The buyers were up 41.8 percent from the last session, setting another record.

More than 35,000 domestic and overseas companies participated in the 132nd session. There were 34,744 domestic companies, an increase of about 40 percent. A large number of high-quality companies displayed products online, with 130,000 featuring digitalized or smart capabilities and 500,000 being green, low carbon commodities.

The Canton Fair started in 1957. It is the country’s largest and longest-running comprehensive trade fair, and has the largest number of overseas buyers and product categories.

China International Fair for Trade in Service

The China International Fair for Trade in Service, known as CIFTIS, was held in Beijing from Aug 31 to Sept 5.

The grand event saw 1,339 deals clinched, including 513 commercial transactions, 175 investment agreements and 173 releases of new product and service solutions.

It was the first time that the fair featured an environmental service section. It covered an area of 16,700 square meters and was comprised of five themed exhibitions on low-carbon energy, climate, the carbon economy, carbon neutrality and green technology.

The CIFTIS has further highlighted its role as a key platform for innovative growth by advancing common development through high-level opening-up and facilitation of global economic recovery.

The 2nd China International Consumer Products Expo

The second China International Consumer Products Expo, or CICPE, was held in Hainan from July 25-30.

The total exhibition area of the expo was 100,000 square meters, 20,000 square meters more than last year. The international exhibition area attracted more than 1,600 brands from 61 countries and regions.

The expo provides unlimited business opportunities for international brands to explore Chinese markets, while introducing more domestic fashionable products to serve global consumers.

The 19th China-ASEAN Expo

The 19th China-ASEAN Expo, held from Sept 16-19 in Nanning in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, witnessed the signing of 267 domestic and international deals, with an investment of over $57 billion, up 37 percent compared to last year.

Eighty-eight online and offline economic and trade events were held in areas including new high-end metal materials, health, tourism and culture, new green chemical materials, and mechanical equipment manufacturing.

Covering 102,000 square meters, this year's expo attracted 1,653 enterprises from 40 countries, with 5,400 exhibition booths set up. The exhibition hall saw about 25,600 visits per day on average, up 19.2 percent compared to the last expo.

Since the first China-ASEAN Expo was held in 2004, the event has become a platform for ASEAN enterprises to enter the Chinese market.

The 22nd China International Fair for Investment and Trade

The 22nd China International Fair for Investment and Trade, also known as CIFIT, was held from Sept 8 to 11 in Xiamen, Fujian province.

This year's CIFIT saw more than 480 projects signed, with a total investment of $49.55 billion, attracting more than 800 trading groups, more than 4,000 businesses and about 60,000 merchants from more than 90 countries and regions who attended either online or offline events.

In addition, the fair also set up an exhibition featuring investment in hot spot cities for the first time, which attracted 18 emerging cities and regions in China wishing to demonstrate their development potential.

The fair has shown the continuous efforts by the country to expand high-level opening-up to the world and boost the confidence of global investors.

The fourth Western China International Fair for Investment and Trade

The Fourth Western China International Fair for Investment and Trade (WCIFIT) opened in July 21 in Chongqing.

A total of 104 projects were signed at the fair. Sixty-six of them will be based in Chongqing, involving a total investment of $32.91 billion.

There were 12 themed pavilions occupying an area of 160,000 square meters, and three new exhibition areas for modern manufacturing, modern services and cross-border e-commerce.

The event also featured a cross-border e-commerce trade fair for the first time and attracted a number of Fortune 500 companies and renowned cross-border e-commerce platforms, including eBay, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Alibaba and JD International.