Editor's note: As the 7th China International Import Expo or CIIE fast approaches, the International Services Shanghai presents a special column, CIIE at Your Service. This series offers practical guides to enhance your CIIE experience, covering everything from event registrations and customs clearances to payment solutions and dining options. This installation focuses on exhibition highlights.

Country Exhibition

As a key highlight of the China International Import Expo, the Country Exhibition brings together 77 participating countries and international organizations.

Notably, seven countries – Benin, Burundi, Lesotho, Madagascar, Namibia, Norway and Slovakia – along with UNICEF, will make their debut at the event this year.

Additionally, France, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania and Uzbekistan will serve as Guest Countries of Honor.

Key highlights

This year, the France Pavilion will celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France. Leading business enterprises from a variety of French industries will display the rich achievements in bilateral cooperation and the enduring friendship between the two nations.

Meanwhile, the Laos Pavilion will highlight the China-Laos Railway as its central theme, illustrating how the railway facilitates the entry of Lao specialty products into the Chinese market.

Food & Agricultural Products

The exhibition area will bring together the world's leading grain merchants and top vegetable seeds enterprises, showcasing a dedicated exhibition zone for French agri-food enterprises and an expanded section for African agricultural products.

Key highlight

A standout feature this year is the fresh Musang King durian from Malaysia. In June, marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Malaysia, the two countries signed several agreements, including one on the inspection and quarantine requirements for fresh durians exported from Malaysia to China.

Malaysia has now become the fourth country permitted to export fresh durians to China. Unlike previous shipments that were frozen or processed, these fresh durians are tree-ripened, requiring fast logistics to ensure their quality. Well-known varieties like Malaysia's Musang King can now be enjoyed fresh, offering Chinese consumers a unique and elevated taste experience.

Automobiles

The exhibition area will bring together 12 Fortune 500 automakers, with a strong emphasis on sustainable development and the future of mobility. Of great interest, 90 percent of the displayed models are new energy vehicles, showcasing a growing focus on sustainability. The use of recyclable and bio-based materials has also become more prevalent in this year's displays.

Leading companies like Volkswagen and Aptiv will present autonomous driving solutions, while Hyundai, Toyota and Faurecia will highlight their advancements in hydrogen energy storage technology.

Key highlights

Cutting-edge products – including Yamaha's Tricera electric three-wheeled motorcycle and Michelin's airless tires for lunar exploration vehicles – will make their debut at the event.

Yamaha's Tricera motorcycle offers an enhanced driving experience with improved stability and control.

Intelligent Industry & Information Technology

The exhibition area will center around three major themes: technology, industry and environmental protection. In particular, the technology section will introduce a new materials zone for the first time, showcasing innovations from leading companies.

Key highlights

Omron is presenting its FORPHEUS AI-powered table tennis coaching robot. It's a sophisticated AI-driven sports robot designed to improve players' ping-pong skills through interactive training.

Consumer Goods

The exhibition area will feature the world’s three luxury conglomerates – LVMH, Richemont and Kering. There will be three fast fashion giants on show – Inditex, Uniqlo and Muji. The area will also feature eight beauty and body care giants – L'Oréal, Unilever, Estée Lauder, Procter & Gamble, Beiersdorf, LVMH, Shiseido and Coty.

Key highlight

This year will also mark the first-time participation of Lululemon Athletica, Rituals and SoleusAir.

From its roots in Vancouver city in Canada, Lululemon Athletica – a top manufacturer and retailer of yoga-inspired athletic apparel – has expanded across the globe. At CIIE, it will host on-site yoga activities to bring visitors extraordinary experiences.

Medical Equipment & Healthcare Products

The exhibition area will highlight 10 world-leading medical device producers – Medtronic, Johnson & Johnson, Abbott, Siemens Healthineers, Stryker, GE HealthCare, BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), Roche Diagnostics, Philips and Boston Scientific.

What's more, 11 Fortune Global 500 pharmaceutical corporations – Johnson & Johnson, Roche, MSD, Pfizer, Novartis, Bayer, Sanofi, AstraZeneca, GSK, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk – will show their achievements.

Key highlight

Össur is a company that develops and produces innovative prosthetic and orthotic solutions for people with mobility challenges.

It's making its debut in the health and elderly care special zone and will launch prosthetic feet designed to help users realize more strenuous exercises with less effort.

Trade in Services

Four global accounting firms – Deloitte, PwC, KPMG and Ernst & Young – will once again be featured together at the Trade in Services Exhibition Area.

Key highlights

Property development and marine services group Swire and Guinness World Records – the global authority on all things record-breaking – will make their debut in the exhibition area.

Scan Global Logistics, a global logistics provider, is offering standard and tailor-made – as well as complex logistics solutions – across air, ocean, rail, roads and in warehousing. It will also attend CIIE for the first time to promote its services and innovations.

Innovation Incubation Special Section

This section will put 360 innovative projects in four fields on show for the first time – the digital economy, green and low-carbon development, life sciences and manufacturing technology.

The section will strengthen cooperation with international innovation incubation platforms such as Accenture's open innovation platform, the EGG (Egg Training) and the Korea Innovation Center China. Professionals from various countries will be invited to exhibit their sci-tech projects.

Key highlight

US company Shift Robotics Inc will introduce Moonwalkers Aero, the world's first pair of robot shoes – motorized roller skates that claim to boost the speed of your natural walking gait – to the Chinese market.

Equipped with an intuitive artificial intelligence-driven system, the product has strong endurance capabilities and can walk up to 10 kilometers at a maximum speed of 11.27 kilometers per hour.