WCIF a ‘shining brand’ for western China

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By Liu Yang, Ma Jingjing (Global Times) 13:41, May 28, 2025

The 20th Western China International Fair (WCIF) has played a significant role as a vital window in promoting trade, investment, and opening-up in China's western regions, becoming a "shining brand" showcasing the development of western China to the world, Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, said on Tuesday.

The 20th WCIF is being held in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, from Sunday to Thursday. Under the theme of "Deepen Reform for More Momentum, Expand Openness for Greater Growth," the fair brought together more than 3,000 companies from 62 countries and regions.

Asked about China's take on the role of the fair in China's opening-up, Mao noted that the WCIF has played a significant role as a vital window in promoting trade, investment, and opening up in China's western regions, becoming a "shining brand" showcasing the development of western China to the world.

"We are willing to take the fair as an opportunity to further enhance understanding, strengthen friendship, and deepen cooperation with friends from all countries, and work together to uphold the multilateral trading system and ensure stable, unimpeded global industrial and supply chains, injecting new impetus into the prosperity and development of the world economy," Mao said.

At the ongoing WCIF, a series of cutting-edge technologies, innovative products, and the latest application scenarios representing the direction of new quality productive forces are being showcased, including lithium iron phosphate 4C superfast-charging batteries, Airbus A350 carbon fiber reinforced polymer wing structures, and the new-generation artificial sun "Huanliu-3," according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The fair has become an important platform for foreign businesses to seek development opportunities in the region.

"The development of our company in Chengdu is unprecedented," Alberto Borini, CEO of Italian company B·Plan Tech, who attended the fair, told the Global Times on Tuesday. Launched at the end of 2019 in Chengdu, Borini's company has developed multiple consumer electronic devices and plans mass production by the fourth quarter of 2025.

"China's government support, a favorable business environment, complete supply chain, convenient logistics, and ever-expanding high-speed rail and aviation networks are the primary reasons attracting our investment," Borini said, adding that there are many sectors where a foreign company can invest and be successful, including high-tech, electric cars, the environment and agriculture.

"I believe China is in the best position to become the first economic power in the next decade, given its advantages in areas including tech capability, a large population, and know-how. That's why I came to this fair, seeking further cooperation opportunities," Piercarlo Ravasio, a businessman from Italy, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Cong Yi, a professor at the Tianjin School of Administration, said that the fair demonstrated China's continuous efforts in opening-up, especially amid uncertainties of the external environment due to rising unilateralism and protectionism.

"Amid the current volatile external environment, China persists in hosting international events like the WCIF, continuously strengthening economic and trade exchanges and deepening cooperation. This demonstrates the country's determination to uphold the multilateral trading system, aligns with the common development aspirations of countries worldwide, and reflects the responsibility of a major power," Cong told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Cong also noted that the fair has demonstrated the latest development achievements of China's western regions, featuring high-tech innovation, guided by the country's strategy for the large-scale development of China's western regions.

At the fair, the Chongqing Pavilion's power platform, intelligent driving and smart cockpit showcase its new goal of building a "new-energy and intelligent connected vehicle industry cluster," while the Inner Mongolia Pavilion's Shenzhou manned spacecraft model and wind turbine model vividly narrate its deep connection with the manned space program and new strides in the adjustment of the energy structure, according to Xinhua.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun)