Signals and specific measures for expanding openness were intensively released on February 4th at the inaugural 2026 event for "Sharing the Vast Market: Export to China." These initiatives encompass expanding autonomous opening-up, actively increasing imports, promoting balanced trade development, jointly enlarging the cooperative pie, upholding the multilateral trading system and free trade, enhancing mutual promotion of activities, strengthening supply-demand matching, and deepening international interaction. The Ministry of Commerce announced plans to host over a hundred related events throughout the year, facilitating the smoother entry of global high-quality goods and services into millions of Chinese households.
Attending guests and industry experts unanimously emphasized that this represents more than just a series of trade promotion activities; it is a practical action by China to proactively open its market and share growth opportunities with the world. China's vast market is injecting certainty and fresh momentum into global trade and economic growth.
At the launch ceremony, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao stated that organizing the "Export to China" series is a proactive effort by China to expand its autonomous opening-up, actively increase imports, and promote balanced trade development. He described it as an innovative move, viewed from the perspective of a trade partner, to jointly enlarge the cooperative pie and safeguard the multilateral trading system and free trade.
Minister Wang Wentao detailed that in 2026, the Ministry of Commerce will host over a hundred series events, inviting countries including the United Kingdom, Kazakhstan, Kenya, and Thailand to serve as annual theme nations for "Export to China." This aims to strengthen mutual promotion of activities, enhance supply-demand matching, deepen international interaction, and support the entry of more global high-quality goods and services into Chinese households.
"Sharing the vast market" emerged as a frequent keyword in discussions among domestic and international guests at the event. A series of recent economic indicators underscore the immense capacity and growth resilience of the Chinese market: In 2025, China's GDP surpassed the 140 trillion yuan threshold for the first time, total retail sales of consumer goods exceeded 50 trillion yuan, and the total value of goods imports reached 18.48 trillion yuan. This massive and continuously upgrading market is consistently generating stable demand for the world through branded activities like "Export to China."
Diplomatic missions, chambers of commerce, and corporate representatives from numerous countries responded positively to the ongoing dividends of openness released by the Chinese market.
The British Ambassador to China, Caroline Wilson, stated in her remarks that the UK highly values cooperation with China in trade, investment, innovation, and industrial development. She expressed the UK's commitment to actively collaborate with China's Ministry of Commerce, local government departments, and industry partners to continue promoting two-way trade, fostering practical cooperation, and creating more tangible opportunities for both nations.
Chief Representative of the German Chamber of Commerce in Beijing, Oliver Regner, pointed out that for German companies, China is not only a crucial base for production and investment but is increasingly becoming a key target market for high-tech, high-quality products. Sino-German business cooperation is advancing towards higher value-added and superior quality, he noted.
The event served not only as a platform for policy announcements but also for effective matchmaking. At the Indonesia national pavilion, a wide array of coffee products became a focal point. Staff on-site explained that Indonesian Kopi Luwak has gained recognition in the Chinese market, establishing stable partnerships with buyers in cities like Shanghai and Beijing and successfully entering mainstream e-commerce platforms. They expressed strong anticipation for further exploring the Chinese market with the support of the "Export to China" activities.
The interaction between innovation and the market was another highlight at corporate exhibition booths. A representative from Tesla mentioned that China's "shared vast market" is not only a significant consumer market but also a "testing ground" and "application field" for innovation. Feedback from Chinese users and the diversity of driving scenarios accelerate the maturity of their technology, which in turn enhances the global competitiveness of their products.
Industry experts believe the "Export to China" initiative is a long-term "invitation letter" China extends to the world and a "propellant" for advancing in-depth international cooperation. Zhou Mi, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told reporters that China's ultra-large market, with its population base, growth potential, and diverse consumer demands, constitutes a unique advantage. Simultaneously, the continuously improving circulation system ensures efficient access for international goods to reach consumers.
"This enables China's vast market to become a 'profit field' for industries worldwide and a 'testing ground' for innovation," Zhou Mi said. He also emphasized that "Export to China," along with initiatives like "Invest in China" and "Buy in China," mutually reinforce each other, covering multiple dimensions such as goods, capital, and personnel flows, aiming to allow all parties to share in the trade and investment opportunities of the Chinese market.
Regarding future growth points for imports, Zhu Caihua, a professor at the School of Economics of the University of International Business and Economics, analyzed that these should be identified by aligning with consumption upgrading and industrial transformation needs. In terms of product categories, focus could be placed on imported foods, maternal and infant products, health and elderly care products linked to consumption upgrading, as well as advanced technology equipment, key components, and bulk commodities required for industrial upgrading. Geographically, deepening supply chain cooperation with Belt and Road Initiative partner countries, strengthening trade with the EU, Japan, and South Korea in high-end consumer goods and intermediate products, and stabilizing imports from resource-rich nations through long-term agreements were suggested approaches.
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