Businesses across Asia-Pacific are using China's import expo in Shanghai to build closer industrial ties, extending cooperation beyond trade in goods into manufacturing, innovation and supply chains, Xinhua reported on Sunday.

The ninth China International Import Expo (CIIE) runs in Shanghai from 5 to 10 November. Since its launch in 2018, the expo has grown into a major platform for international trade, with cumulative intended deals of more than 580 billion US dollars over its first eight editions and more than 3,400 new products, technologies and services making their debuts.

For New Zealand-based Pacific Alpacas, the expo turned a small exhibition booth into a cross-border supply chain. After selling out its alpaca quilts at its CIIE debut in 2021, the company shipped 3.3 tonnes of alpaca fibre to China for processing in 2022, and later built long-term partnerships with Chinese e-commerce platforms. It also worked with a textile mill in Jiangsu Province to improve the quality of its quilts and a marketing agency in Shandong Province to expand into livestream commerce.

Japanese electronics giant Panasonic, a nine-time CIIE participant, is shifting its strategy from "China for China" to "China for Global", drawing on a network of more than 3,000 suppliers in China to strengthen its research, development and supply chain work. Thailand's TCP Group, the company behind the Red Bull brand, has developed a new vitamin electrolyte beverage for Chinese consumers and runs production bases in Sichuan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Malaysian producers are showcasing tropical fruit such as Musang King and Black Thorn durians to connect with Chinese buyers.

Participation by businesses from APEC economies is strong: Canadian and New Zealand exhibitors occupied their largest exhibition areas in the expo's history this year, Australian companies expanded their space by 25 percent from last year, and US exhibitors retained the largest area for the eighth consecutive edition. Canada is this year's Guest Country of Honour, with more than 120 Canadian companies taking part, according to CGTN.

The expo comes as China prepares to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen on 18 and 19 November, with openness, innovation and cooperation set as the three priority areas. In 2025, APEC's 21 member economies were home to 3 billion people and accounted for 61.6 percent of global real GDP, according to official APEC statistics.