Global giants sign up for import expo

A new group of global heavyweights in high-end manufacturing, automobiles and consumer goods have signed up for the China International Import Expo, as they seize opportunities to thrive in a country that deepens its opening-up and prioritizes quality growth.

Twenty-five foreign enterprises confirmed their attendance during a signing ceremony on Saturday, raising the curtain for China's first import fair, which has thus far secured nearly 1,100 participating merchants, according to the event's organizers. New entrants include Fortune 500 companies like engineering and aerospace conglomerate Honeywell, semiconductor giant Qualcomm, automaker Fiat Chrysler and consumer goods provider Unilever.

"The expo sends the clear signal of China's opening-up, serves to satisfy people's needs for a beautiful life, pushes ahead with supply-side structural reform and promotes consumption upgrade," said Zhong Xiaomin, deputy-director of the China International Import Expo Bureau.