BEIJING: Prime Minister Imran Khan will arrive in Chinese commercial and industrial hub Shanghai to attend the opening of China International Import Expo (CIIE) on November 5, officials said here on Sunday.



The Chinese government has granted the status of "Guest of Honor" to Pakistan at the CIIE, to be held till November 10.

This will ensure the provision of all possible facilities and benefits to the Pakistani pavilion. It is also a reflection of special gesture of goodwill towards Pakistan, especially when the country’s prime minister is going to participate in it.

According to Pakistan's Ambassador Masood Khalid, a pavilion of Pakistani companies exporting various items to China would be set up at the expo. This will facilitate enhancing Pakistan’s export to China and to improve balance of trade position between the two countries.

Imran Khan would pay a weeklong official visit to China from November 3, at the invitation of the Chinese government.

He would first arrive in Beijing where he would meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang and other senior civil military leaders, before leaving for Shanghai. The Chinese government attaches high importance to the visit, hoping it would lead to furthering strengthening of their socio-economic partnership, particularly in context of CPEC.

Meanwhile, Shanghai, host of the event, has reached the final stage of its preparations, while products from all over the world have been arriving in the city.

The CIIE is China's first expo event that is expected to give firm support to trade liberalisation and economic globalisation, and actively open the Chinese market to the world, according to its official website.

A total of 2,800 companies from all the G20 member states, as well as 50 countries and regions along the Belt and Road will participate in the expo.

Of the world's 44 least developed countries, more than 30 will be present at the event.

As the event is drawing near, goods from foreign exhibitors have arrived at local customs. Shanghai has opened green channels for the products, significantly cutting the time needed for them to be unloaded and stored in local warehouses.

So far, it is estimated that products from more than 1,500 exhibitors have arrived in the Chinese mainland, while that from another 1,000 have been or are being shipped.

Chinese companies are eyeing great potential in boosting imports through the event.

"During the CIIE, we expect to import at least 1,000 kinds of products and services that have not been sold in the domestic market," said Wang Zhe, party head of China's commercial giant Suning Holdings Group, "In the next three years, we plan to import goods worth 10 billion Euros (around 11.5 billion US dollars).

Liang Feng, president of state-owned China National Machine Tool Sales and Technical Service Corporation, said CIIE will witness eight leading companies in the machine tool industry to launch a dozen of new products in China for the first time.

More than 100 new products and technologies are expected to make debut at the expo, according to statistics from the organizers.

"The CIIE shows China's changing trade strategy and its resolve to fulfill its responsibility as a major country and achieve mutual benefits and win-win cooperation with all nations," said Zhao Beiwen, deputy head of the World Economy Institute under the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.