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SHANGHAI, Nov. 4-- The world's first import-themed national-level expo will be a concrete action to open up China's market and cast a firm vote of confidence in free trade when protectionism threatens global growth. The inaugural China International Import Expo (CIIE), slated for Nov. 5-10 in Shanghai, comes at the right time. It proves that China means business in further promoting win-win and balanced trade. More than 3,000 companies from over 130 countries and regions will be brought to the doors of a vast and vibrant market, already the world's second largest merchandise importer for nine consecutive years. The uNPRecedented fair will give a vivid glimpse of how China is becoming a bigger buyer of products ranging from Ethiopian coffee, New Zealand avocados and U.S. new energy vehicles to Japanese electronic products and a 200-tonne German milling machine. Bridging suppliers from all across the world with more than 160,000 buyers from over 80,000 domestic as well as foreign companies, the expo will substantially reduce the information and institutional costs for trade and deliver tangible deals and benefits for foreign firms. It sends a resounding message: China is serious about opening its doors wider. A brainchild of President Xi Jinping, the expo is set to become a landmark project in the country's new round of higher-level opening up. China marks the 40th anniversary of reform and opening up this year. When its economy sees changes amid overall stability with increased downward pressure, the country's resolve to open up becomes even stronger. Why? One lesson it has learned from its own history is only an open economy can prosper. | 
