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Remarks by Consul General Zhang Ping at the "Meet Shanghai at CIIE" Event
(October 13, 2022, Los Angeles)
2022-10-16 10:00


It gives me great pleasure to attend today's event featuring the China International Import Expo or CIIE.

The CIIE is the world's first import expo held at the national level. It is an important decision made by China to pursue high-level opening-up and widen market access to the rest of the world. It demonstrates China's commitment to advancing an open world economy and building a community with a shared future for mankind. It is a concrete action to support the multilateral trading system and economic globalization.

The CIIE was first held in 2018 and has become an annual event since then, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past 4 years, the CIIE has not only become a platform of cooperation for participants both at home and abroad, but also a stage to debut all kinds of new products, cutting-edge technologies and innovative services. Exhibitors at the four previous expos launched more than 1,500 new products, technologies and services, with an accumulated intended turnover exceeding 270 billion US dollars.

California is an active participant in the CIIE. The Bay Area Council has hosted the California Pavilion at CIIE for the last 4 consecutive years and many California-based companies presented their products and services at the Expo which have attracted a lot of Chinese customers. California-based companies such as AECOM have successfully entered China's market after participating in the CIIE.

In less than a month, the fifth CIIExpo will open in Shanghai. More than 280 of the world's top 500 enterprises and industry giants will participate, with nearly 90 percent of previous participants joining this year's event. We believe this will be another successful event. And it will play a positive role in promoting free trade, encouraging innovation and contributing to global economic recovery. I hope California will continue to have its presence in this year's CIIE with more Southern California companies joining the event.

China is committed to opening wider to the world and we honor our words with actions. China's overall tariff rate has been reduced from 15.3 percent to 7.4 percent; its national negative list for foreign investment has been shortened; the number of pilot free trade zones has increased; foreign investment access continues to expand; the business environment continues to improve. China will not close its door to the world; we will only become more and more open.

In a few days, the Communist Party of China will convene its 20th National Congress to draw a blueprint for China's development in the next five years and beyond. China's modernization and future development will bring new opportunities for the world. China is willing to share development opportunities with other countries including the US. We welcome the greater success of American business in the Chinese market.

Shanghai is an internationally renowned metropolis. Located at where the Yangtze River flows into the Pacific Ocean, Shanghai has been a pioneer in China's reform and opening up. Thanks to its favorable business environment and the CIIE's positive impacts, Shanghai has become a popular foreign investment destination. More than 4,000 US companies including Tesla and Walt Disney invested in Shanghai, many of which choose to locate their regional headquarters there. Shanghai is also a city full of vitality and resilience. Despite the impact of the pandemic, Shanghai's economy has made robust recovery. Shanghai is now making great efforts to push forward economic transformation, upgrade its economic structure, and accelerate its layout of green and low-carbon development. Being the host city of the CIIE, Shanghai will present itself to the world in a more open, confident and inclusive manner, setting a new benchmark for China's opening up.

Economic and trade cooperation is the anchor and propeller of the China-US relationship. Sub-national cooperation plays an essential role in strengthening our bilateral relations. China is California's largest trading partner and the third-largest export market for goods. We see the great potential of further expanding of California's trade ties with China. I sincerely hope that the Californian business community will seize the opportunity and make full use of the CIIE platform to promote more trade and closer economic ties with China. The Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles is willing to offer our assistance and support. We look forward to working with you.

Thank you for your effort and input which make this event possible. I wish today's event a great success.


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