At CIIE 2025, China Sets Sights On $24T Economy by 2030
On 5 November 2025, the 8th China International Import Expo 2025 (#CIIE2025) officially opened in Shanghai. For this 8th edition, the six Guest of Honor Countries are: Colombia, Georgia, Nigeria, Sweden, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates. During the opening ceremony, Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivered the welcome address and declared that as per the 15th Five-Year Plan 2025-2030, China is set to become a USD 24 trillion economy by 2030.
His key message to the world is that China is committed to free trade and will continue to further open its market to the world, in contrast to some other country. The Expo is the flagship event in China for other countries to promote their products on the Chinese market. Its primary objective is to boost import of high quality goods from around the world into China.
“Let enterprises from all over the world develop in China with more peace of mind, more comfort and more confidence.”
Chinese Premier LI Qiang
In 2025, the GDP of China is estimated at RMB 140 trillion ($20T); by 2030, it is forecasted to reach RMB 170 trillion ($24T), with an annual compounded growth rate exceeding 4% over the next five years. China enjoyed over USD one trillion of trade surplus with the world and several countries have expressed concerns about this huge trade imbalance.
More than 155 countries, regions, and organizations participated to #CIIE2025, with about 4,100 foreign companies. Despite the trade tensions between US and China, the US still has the largest exhibition area at the Expo. A certain regain in confidence can be felt following the recent consensus reached by Trump and Xi at Busan on the margins of #APEC2025. Nearly 290 firms out of the #Global500 companies — of which several are American — are in attendance.
In particular, American agriculture is under the spotlight with the presence of the US Meat Export Federation, US Poultry and Egg Export Council, US Rice Federation, Western US Agricultural Trade Association, National Cotton Council of Americia, California Wine Institute, and Ginseng Board of Wisconsin.
American technology is also being showcased, with GE Aerospace, Qualcomm, Honeywell, DuPont, and Intel, all having booths. It is also worth noting that after an hiatus of two years, Tesla is back with its latest driverless #robotaxi Cybercab on show.
In June 2025, China announced that it is removing almost all tariffs on African goods entering the Chinese market. In 2025, the bilateral trade between China and Africa is experiencing sustained growth and the volume is expected to exceed the USD 300 billion mark. Generally speaking, an upgrade of African economies is needed to address the structural trade deficits of African countries.
In 2024, the total transaction value generated by the Expo was USD 80 billion. For 2025, since the world is experiencing tumultuous times, expectations have been toned down. Nevertheless, the organizers and participants are hoping to do some good business and seal some deals.