Translated with AI
From Taipei to Guangzhou, where she completed her undergraduate degree, and then to Shanghai. There, she completed her master's degree and is now pursuing a doctorate. Chen Daxi has traveled this path for eight years. Shanghai, where she lives, is hosting the Shanghai International Import Expo (CIIE) for the eighth time. In 2022, as an intern for a French pharmaceutical corporation, Chen Daxi first visited the main pavilion of the CIIE, shaped like a four-leaf clover and often associated with happiness and good fortune in China. Since then, her destiny has been intertwined with the CIIE. Three years later, she returned to assist more exhibitors and visitors.
On November 5, the 8th China International Import Expo officially opened at the National Exhibition and Convention Center. This year, 155 countries, regions, and international organizations participated, with 4,108 foreign companies displaying their products across an exhibition space of over 430,000 square meters. Both the exhibition space and the total number of participating companies reached unprecedented levels.
Exhibitor and beneficiary of the expanding opening of the Chinese market
Chen Daxi's father was one of the first Taiwanese businessmen to come to invest on the mainland back in the 1990s, at the beginning of the reform and opening-up policies. Almost all of Chen Daxi's childhood memories are connected with mainland China. "During winter and summer breaks, I would sometimes return to Taipei, but I would quickly miss my friends and school in Dongguan (in Guangdong Province), and would immediately fly back. I remember that as a child, when I had to write an essay on 'My Homeland,' I always wondered which city to write about," she said.
When it came time to choose a university major, Chen Daxi received offers from two mainland universities. Having rejected clinical medicine, she ultimately chose journalism and communications. Because the healthcare communications major focuses on direct participation in disseminating public health knowledge, improving understanding between doctors and patients, developing public awareness of health, and so on, "I found it incredibly interesting," Chen Daxi emphasized.
After completing her fourth year of university, Chen Daxi began an internship at the French company Sanofi. In her external relations department, she was tasked with establishing contacts between government agencies, patients, and the media. She personally helped design Sanofi's booth at the 5th International Import Expo, where she directly interacted with patients with rare diseases and listened to their needs. This experience strengthened her belief that communication in healthcare is more than just knowledge sharing; it entails serious social responsibility. Innovations in medicine and hygiene are not cold, technical concepts; they touch upon the quality of everyday life for real people and their families.
Sanofi, a regular participant in the CIIE, has been delivering innovative medications to patients for the past eight years. The CIIE has witnessed the growing popularity of their Dupixent®, a medication for patients with atopic dermatitis, in the Chinese market. It is also known as the "child of the Expo," as its successful appearance at the exhibition allowed for a rapid process, from approval and market launch to inclusion in medical insurance and further expansion of its use. This year, Sanofi established the Medical Innovation Fund in Shanghai and invested in a project to sell medicinal raw materials in the Chinese capital, completing the transition from exhibitor to investor. Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson noted, "The CIIE is not only a showcase for China's commitment to continually increasing its level of openness but also a platform for facilitating global contacts and interactions. We hope to continue to make our contribution, supporting China in building a healthier and more sustainable future."
During her pre-job training, Chen Daxi made a special visit to her "former employer"—the Sanofi booth, featuring a giant figurine covered in spikes, symbolizing Dupixent®'s new indications for treating nasal and skin conditions. "If you came now, you'd hardly be able to take such empty photos; it's simply jam-packed today," Chen Daxi said with undisguised delight during a WeChat interview.
She continues: "Thanks to the 'spillover effect,' the Import Expo introduced more people to information about rare diseases and our innovative drugs. This made me realize that the foreign companies participating aren't just visitors from afar, but are already deeply integrated into the needs of Chinese society, growing alongside the local market and addressing important issues."
Many exhibitors, such as Sanofi, return to the exhibition again and again, bringing high-quality products and services. Companies and the market are mutually reinforcing. Chen Daxi also plans to open his own business to further reap the benefits of China's high-level openness.
EXPO volunteer and driving force behind the policy of expanding openness to the outside world
According to Chen Daxi, the 2022 CIIE faced numerous challenges due to the coronavirus epidemic, but the organizers still provided invaluable support to each exhibitor. On the other hand, over the past 10 years, she, like a young plant rooted in the soil, has received a quality education, benefited from resources, and benefited from openness. She believes in giving back, which is why she applied to volunteer.
The volunteers of the Import Expo are affectionately called "little leaves." Over the previous seven exhibitions, more than 34,000 "little leaves" have already demonstrated the moral character of Chinese youth to the world. This time, the army of volunteers has grown to 3,865. Although each of them may only have a single chair to rest in the pavilion, and for several days in a row, their number of steps on the WeChat counter will break all records, Chen Daxi feels "delight, excitement, and pride." For students, the event is the ideal platform not only to see the most sophisticated technologies but also to meet interesting creative ideas and representatives of different cultures.
At this exhibition, Chen Daxi served as a sort of coordinator for an American medical technology company. When the company's management expressed a desire to ride the Shanghai subway, she went specifically to explore the area and memorized every detail, from which exit was temporarily closed to where the elevators were, and how to pay for the ride. Just donning the red "Leaflet" uniform and the Fudan University badge makes you the face of the university and a representative of your country. Even in the most simple of tasks, you need to maintain a professional approach, providing excellent service to both exhibitors and visitors.
As Chen Daxi strolled through the exhibits, she was continually amazed by the dynamic development of artificial intelligence. Androids always immediately steal the show. At the current Import Expo, a domestic companion robot was unveiled for the first time, which also aligns with her focus. Technological innovations are increasingly penetrating the lives of specific groups of people, truly changing their lifestyles and worldviews.
"But the world has always been and remains a single planet, round, like the layout of the exhibition stands at our Expo. Life moves in a spiral. When I was an exhibitor, I noticed openness at the national level. It's connected to policy, the market, production chains, and the innovation ecosystem. As a volunteer, I realized that openness implies connections between people, which will ultimately bring many benefits," added Chen Daxi.
Chen Daxi's personal experience is a microcosm of the Import Expo, which every year proves to the world that China's open doors will not close. On the contrary, they will open wider and wider. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee proposed actively expanding openness and promoting innovative trade development. The second-largest importer of goods provides the world with greater certainty.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for "not only holding the CIIE annually, but also continually raising its standard and achieving tangible results." The eight-year-old exhibition continues to evolve. This year, technologies and services are showcased, ranging from the low-altitude economy, humanoid robots, and other futuristic industries to the "silver" economy, winter sports, sports businesses, auto tourism, and other emerging areas, with 461 new products. For the first time, the exhibition has designated a special area for least developed countries, providing their exhibitors with comprehensive support. For the first time, discussions on the theme of the "Global South" were held at various venues.
"The best proof of the need to expand the opening of the domestic market is China's holding of a specialized import expo, the scale of which is constantly growing. According to estimates by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, in the outgoing 14th Five-Year Plan, the total volume of Chinese imports of goods and services will exceed $15 trillion—that's an average of three trillion dollars per year! In the next five years, China will be able to 'swallow' even more, which creates new opportunities for foreign suppliers, including Russian ones," notes CGTN observer Konstantin Shchepin.
Author: Tian Tian
Photo courtesy of Chen Daxi
