Global trade luminaries converged at Geneva’s iconic Palace of Nations for the 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE) and Hongqiao Forum consultation summit. The forum amplified calls for enhanced multilateral engagement.
More than 30 delegates participated, from ITC, UNCTAD, WTO, and diplomats of Nicaragua, Cape Verde, Kazakhstan, plus Swiss partners. This mix promised robust exchanges on trade futures.
Speaking first, ITC Deputy Director Dorothy Tembo celebrated CIIE’s role in the last eight years: connecting worldwide businesses, buyers, consumers for interactions, learning, and lasting ties.
UNCTAD’s trade division head, Luis Maria de la Mora, hailed China’s pivotal support for multilateral trade, South-South collaboration, and reducing sector-specific development divides.
China’s Geneva envoy Liang Hong called CIIE a vital international public good, a practical step towards a community of shared destiny.
Song Shangce of the expo and forum secretariat stressed aims to forge agreements, boost global openness/shared growth, and reinforce multilateralism. Delegates appreciated links to UN’s 2030 agenda.
Amid geopolitical shifts, this event underscores CIIE’s enduring value in promoting inclusive, sustainable economic integration worldwide.