(Yicai) Nov. 4 -- More than 4,100 overseas companies will gather at the record-sized China International Import Expo in Shanghai tomorrow, seeking opportunities in the country's vast consumer market and growing innovation ecosystem.

The ninth CIIE's total exhibition area has surpassed 440,000 square meters for the first time, with companies from developed countries accounting for the largest share of exhibition space, Yicai learned from the event organizer. Many exhibitors are returning for the ninth consecutive year.

Launched in 2018 to open China's market and boost imports, the annual CIIE will run from Nov. 5 to 10 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai.

For multinational companies, the draw goes well beyond selling to Chinese consumers. Alongside a retail market worth more than CNY50 trillion (USD7.5 trillion), rising demand for innovative medicines and medical devices and rapid advances in manufacturing and artificial intelligence are opening new avenues for local investment and innovation.

Enduring Demand

With nearly 1.4 billion consumers, China offers foreign businesses a vast and enduring market.

China's enormous market, comprehensive industrial supply chains and strong innovation capabilities offer foreign companies ample opportunities for local innovation and growth, Supachai Junkeiat, chief executive of TCP Group China, told Yicai. Thailand's TCP owns the Red Bull brand and trademark in China.

The CIIE is a key platform for China's efforts to advance high-level opening-up and has become a "strategic channel" for foreign companies, including TCP, to invest in the country, Supachai said.

Since establishing its first Red Bull factory in Hainan province in 1993, TCP has continued to expand its presence in China, with cumulative investment exceeding CNY4.4 billion (USD652 million) in recent years. Its Red Bull production base in Guangxi province, which began operations early last year, has become a key hub linking China with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

China's booming outdoor sports market is fueling demand for professional gear and services, drawing premium brands such as Arc'teryx and Lululemon to this year's CIIE.

"Our debut at the CIIE is not only a positive response to the growing popularity of outdoor sports in China, but also a natural step after nearly 20 years of developing our presence in the Chinese market," said Yin Yi, general manager of Arc'teryx China. The brand's ties to China deepened in 2019 when an investor consortium led by Chinese sportswear giant Anta Sports acquired its Finnish parent, Amer Sports, for EUR4.6 billion (USD5.2 billion).

Fresh produce is another area benefiting from China's growing consumer demand. Jon Gleeson, general manager for Australia at fresh berry producer Driscoll's, said the company has grown alongside local growers and partners over more than a decade in China, creating new opportunities.

Driscoll's established its first Chinese farm in Yunnan province in 2013, and its berry-growing area has since expanded from 6.7 hectares to more than 4,000 hectares, with annual output exceeding 40,000 tons.

Investing in Advanced Manufacturing

Beyond consumer goods, China's industrial expansion is drawing foreign manufacturers deeper into its supply chains.

Danfoss' sales in China have more than doubled over the past decade, Xu Yang, president of Danfoss China, told Yicai. The Danish engineering group's sales in the country rose 13 percent last year, making China one of its fastest-growing markets globally, driven by strong demand for energy-efficient solutions in high-growth sectors such as data centers and green shipping.

China has become Danfoss' second-largest market worldwide and a key hub for its global innovation and growth. The company has established 10 manufacturing bases and four major research and development and innovation centers in the country.

China's push to develop its own passenger jets is also creating opportunities for foreign suppliers. At this year’s CIIE, German-Swiss Liebherr Group is showcasing the nose landing gear for China’s domestically developed C909 regional jet and what it describes as the world’s first commercial folding wingtip system for civil aviation, designed for Boeing's 777X wide-body jet.

Liebherr broke ground on a new plant in July at an aircraft industrial park in Shanghai's Lingang free trade zone. Once completed, the facility will provide manufacturing, surface treatment and delivery services to support the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China's production of the C919, China’s first domestically developed large passenger jet.

From Market Access to Pharmaceutical Co-Innovation

China's changing demographics are driving demand for affordable, high-quality medicines and medical devices, while stronger local research and development capabilities are giving Chinese researchers a greater role in multinational drug development.

At the CIIE, Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk is presenting Kyinsu for the first time globally. The company describes the medicine as the world's first and currently the only approved once-weekly combination of basal insulin and a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA), which helps adults with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar.

Administered once a week, the treatment can significantly reduce patients' injection burden. Chinese patients became the first to gain access to the innovative medicine in July.

Novo Nordisk sees Kyinsu's development as a milestone in pharmaceutical innovation with China. Its phase 3 clinical trial, Combine 1, was led by Ji Linong of Peking University People's Hospital, marking the first time a Chinese expert served as global principal investigator for an innovative drug in Novo Nordisk's history.

China's improving policy environment is supporting pharmaceutical innovation and expanding access to new medicines, said Cai Yan, president of Novo Nordisk China. The company will continue investing in China to help bring innovative treatments to patients faster, Cai added.

German pharmaceutical and agricultural giant Bayer is also returning to the CIIE, bringing nearly 30 products for their exhibition debut.

The expo has become an important platform for exchanging ideas, listening, learning, and moving forward with partners, giving Bayer a reason to return year after year, said CEO Bill Anderson.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Emmi Laine