With France serving as a guest country of honor for the seventh China International Import Expo, scheduled for November in Shanghai, French businesses have moved to gain the upper hand in the CIIE's role as a springboard for access to the Chinese market.

Data from the CIIE Bureau show that companies from across the world have signed agreements to reserve a combined exhibition area of more than 240,000 square meters, outpacing that of the 2023 edition. Of them, nearly 200 are Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders.

Wu Zhengping, deputy director-general of the CIIE Bureau and vice-president of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), the CIIE venue, said that preparations for the fair are in full swing.

The CIIE's global promotion campaign has been launched. In response, enterprises and organizations from across the world have signed up, he added.

Among them are legions of repeat exhibitors from France. French companies, from industry giants like L'Oreal, LVMH, and INAPORC to small and medium-sized enterprises, have benefited from the annual trade fair.

Christophe Bristiel, owner of Chateau La Nerthe, a winery in France, recently visited Shanghai ahead of the CIIE to participate in related promotional activities.

Bristiel told Xinhua News Agency that his chateau can date back nearly 500 years, yet it is new to the Chinese market.

The CIIE has evolved into an ideal platform for French companies to showcase their unique charms to China and the world, Bristiel said, adding that he hopes to bring more high-quality French specialty products into the Chinese market.

Zhu Yi, vice-president of Orient International Holding, told Xinhua that over the past six years, Orient International, as a loyal supporter of the CIIE, has played an active role in attracting and organizing exhibitors to the event, as well as working as a supplier, trader and service provider, with its subsidiary Orient International Enterprise achieving a 10 percent increase in signed transaction volume at each CIIE.

"Playing multiple roles represents our unwavering confidence in the CIIE," Zhu said. "This year's expo will welcome France as the guest country of honor. We will further assist French companies in sharing opportunities in China, while continuously improving the CIIE's industry chain, value chain, and functional chain, further optimizing our services to satisfy the expo's  systemic capabilities."

On the first day of March, L'Oreal PRO hosted a hair show at Xuhui Riverside scenic site in Shanghai, where 60 top-tier hairstylists presented their creations. At the show, many new products that will be at this year's CIIE, including hair dryers and vaporizer models, were displayed.

"We wish to contribute to the construction of Shanghai as an international consumer center by focusing on new customer groups, new supplies and new scenarios," Xinhua quoted Lan Zhenzhen, chief corporate affairs and engagement officer of L'Oreal North Asia and China, as saying.

L'Oreal is not only preparing to debut more premium products, but also bringing in more ecosystem partners, companies, ideas and systems through the CIIE Enterprise Alliance, to make the expo and the alliance more open, more innovative and more environmentally friendly, Lan added.

The CIIE, as the world's first national-level import-themed expo, is expected to help multinationals capitalize on the potential of China's supersized market, she said.

The sixth CIIE in 2023 witnessed tentative deals totaling $78.41 billion signed, a record for single-year purchases of goods and services, which represented an increase of 6.7 percent from 2022.

Some 140 French companies participated in the 2023 expo, covering a wide range of businesses including agricultural products, luxury goods and the service industry, according to Bertrand Lortholary, the French ambassador to China.

The CIIE provides an important opportunity to expand French products into the Chinese market, Lortholary told China Media Group, adding that he is confident that the number of exhibitors will increase at the seventh edition.

An important reason is that France will serve as a guest country of honor at this year's expo. Another is that 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France, which will enhance the countries' profile in each other, he noted.

Wu from the CIIE Bureau said: "We expect more global brands to participate in this year's big show and reap good returns in the vast Chinese market."