CIIE 2026: China's import expo opens November 5, and who it is for
The 9th China International Import Expo runs November 5 to 10, 2026 in Shanghai, with 4,142 overseas exhibitors on over 440,000 square meters. It is a fair for selling into China, not sourcing from it. Our comparison with the Canton Fair.
The 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE) runs November 5 to 10, 2026 in Shanghai, with 4,142 overseas exhibitors from 162 countries, regions and international organizations, organizers said at a State Council Information Office press conference on October 16. Unlike the Canton Fair, it is built for companies that want to sell to Chinese buyers.
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The short version
- The 9th CIIE runs November 5 to 10, 2026 in Shanghai. Vice Minister of Commerce Yan Dong and Shanghai and CIIE Bureau officials gave the details at a State Council Information Office press conference on October 16, as reported by Xinhua.
- Organizers count 4,142 overseas exhibitors from 162 countries, regions and international organizations, a total exhibition area above 440,000 square meters for the first time, more than 2,000 first-time exhibitors, and more than 480 products making global, Asian or Chinese debuts.
- The business exhibition keeps six areas: technical equipment, consumer goods, food and agricultural products, automobiles and smart mobility, medical devices and healthcare, and trade in services, plus an innovation incubation zone. Canada and Sri Lanka are the guest countries of honour of the country exhibition.
- For importers who buy from China, the event to watch the same week is the Canton Fair, whose phase 3 (toys, apparel, pet products) runs October 31 to November 4.
By the numbers
Key dates
- 5Nov CIIE opens in Shanghai (to Nov 10)
What changed
CIIE is China's national expo for imports, held every November in Shanghai since 2018. The organizer's 100-day countdown notice set this year's dates at November 5 to 10. At the October 16 press conference, as reported by Xinhua, organizers gave these figures:
| 9th CIIE | Figure |
|---|---|
| Overseas exhibitors | 4,142 |
| Countries, regions and international organizations | 162 |
| Total exhibition area | over 440,000 m² |
| Business exhibition area | over 370,000 m² |
| First-time exhibitors | over 2,000 |
| Debut products (global, Asian or Chinese) | over 480 |
| Countries and organizations in the country exhibition | 69 |
Figures as stated by the organizers on October 16, 2026, reported by Xinhua.
Organizers also said the Hongqiao International Economic Forum will publish a new Export-to-China Capacity Development Report and continue its World Openness Report, that the year-round Hongqiao import showroom brings together more than 6,000 brands from more than 120 countries, and that inspection facilitation for imported consumer goods has cut clearance from at least 7 days to same-day release in the fastest cases.
What it means for your business
Most of our readers buy from China. For them CIIE is not a sourcing fair: exhibitors are foreign companies selling into China. Here is how the two big autumn fairs compare:
| Canton Fair (140th) | CIIE (9th) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who exhibits | Chinese manufacturers and exporters | Overseas companies |
| Who it is for | Buyers sourcing from China | Companies selling into China |
| Where | Guangzhou | Shanghai |
| 2026 dates | Oct 15 to 19, Oct 23 to 27, Oct 31 to Nov 4 | Nov 5 to 10 |
| Size | 32,000 exhibitors (MOFCOM) | 4,142 overseas exhibitors (organizers) |
Canton Fair figures from our Canton Fair 2026 brief (MOFCOM); CIIE figures from the October 16 press conference.
Our take: if you source products, your week is the last Canton Fair phase, which ends November 4. CIIE is worth a look if you make something yourself, such as food, cosmetics, wellness products or design goods, and want Chinese buyers: the consumer goods and food areas, the buyer matchmaking sessions organizers listed (guest country, EU medical devices, Asia and Africa food products) and the year-round showroom are the official routes in. Canada and Sri Lanka are this year's guest countries of honour.
Who is affected
- Small brands and makers outside China that want to sell food, cosmetics, wellness or design products to Chinese buyers.
- Canadian companies: Canada is a guest country of honour of the 2026 country exhibition.
- Importers who source from China: the overlap week matters only for planning, since Canton Fair phase 3 ends November 4.
What to do now
- If you source from China, plan around Canton Fair phase 3 (October 31 to November 4) rather than CIIE.
- If you want to sell into China, start from the organizer's site, ciie.org, and your country's trade promotion agency, which usually runs the national pavilion.
- Before shipping any sample to China, check that your product category is allowed and what labeling it needs; imported food and cosmetics have their own registration rules.
- Watch for the new Export-to-China Capacity Development Report at the Hongqiao forum during the expo week; we will cover what it says for small exporters.
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