China International Import Expo (CIIE) 2026: dates and access in Shanghai

The China International Import Expo is a national show created by China in 2018, held every year in Shanghai under the aegis of China's Ministry of Commerce, with support from the Shanghai municipal government. Its stated aim is the opposite of most major Chinese shows: instead of showcasing Chinese production to foreign buyers, it opens the Chinese domestic market to foreign companies that want to sell their products and services there.

The 2026 edition is the ninth since the show's creation. It brings together several distinct strands under one event: a country exhibition, a business exhibition organised by sector, and the Hongqiao International Economic and Trade Forum, dedicated to trade policy discussions between China and its partners.

CIIE 2026 runs from 5 to 10 November 2026, at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, in the Qingpu district, west of the city, right next to the Hongqiao transport hub. This complex, sometimes nicknamed the four-leaf clover building, also hosts other major shows in the city, including editions of CIFF dedicated to furniture.

These dates and the edition number are confirmed on the show's official site, ciie.org, checked on 26 September 2026. A countdown there displays the number of days left before the opening, a sign that the organisation actively communicates about this date several months in advance.

This distinction is key to understanding the CIIE's real usefulness. The Canton Fair, CIFF or Hong Kong's electronics shows exist to show the world what Chinese factories can produce, and to let a foreign buyer find a supplier. The CIIE works the other way round: it gives foreign companies, large brands and smaller businesses alike, a space to present their own products and services to Chinese buyers, distributors and importers.

The show's business exhibition is split into several broad sector zones: consumer goods, technology and equipment, automobiles, medical equipment and health, food and agriculture, and a services strand. The country exhibition, meanwhile, brings together national pavilions that present a given country's economy and products to the Chinese public, more in a spirit of trade diplomacy than a classic trade show.

For a European buyer looking for a supplier or a factory in China, the CIIE has limited value, and it is worth knowing that before booking a flight. The exhibitors holding a stand at the business exhibition are overwhelmingly foreign brands and distributors selling in China, not Chinese factories looking for export customers. The logic of foreign buyers meeting small or medium Chinese manufacturers, central to the Canton Fair, is not what this show exists for.

The CIIE nonetheless remains useful for two more indirect purposes. First, market watching: observing which foreign brands are entering the Chinese market, and in which sectors, gives insight into how consumption is evolving in China, useful for anyone thinking about a wider strategy. Second, an institutional gateway: some European regional delegations or chambers of commerce organise meetings on the sidelines of the show, which can open useful contacts beyond the show itself.

Individual visitor registration is done online, on the official site ciie.org, in the section dedicated to the business exhibition, under Become a Visitor then Registration, choosing the Individual Visitor profile. The form asks for the visitor's full identity, nationality, a valid ID document (a passport for a foreign visitor) and an ID photo.

For the previous edition, entry was charged at 50 yuan, about 7 dollars, per day per individual visitor, paid online by UnionPay, WeChat Pay, Alipay or Visa, Mastercard and JCB card, before a deadline set a few weeks before the opening. The official site did not yet show, as of 26 September 2026, the exact amount and deadline set for the November 2026 edition: check directly on ciie.org before making arrangements.

The two shows are held a few weeks apart, in October and November, and sometimes share the same communication vocabulary, which keeps confusing anyone discovering the Chinese trade show calendar. The Canton Fair is held in Guangzhou and serves exports: tens of thousands of Chinese factories and trading companies present their production there to buyers from around the world. The CIIE is held in Shanghai and serves imports: foreign companies present their products there to a Chinese audience and buyers.

A European buyer preparing a manufacturing order in China saves time by keeping this distinction in mind right from reading the trade show calendar: the CIIE does not replace a visit to the Canton Fair, and the reverse is equally true.

Preparing a trip to the CIIE follows the same principles as for any major Chinese show: booking a hotel early, since establishments near the site fill up as the date approaches, and starting the business visa process as soon as registration is confirmed, with processing time ranging from a few days to a few weeks depending on the consulate. The Hongqiao transport hub, right next to the site, connects directly to the National Exhibition and Convention Center, including from both of the city's airports and from the high-speed rail station.

A visit to the CIIE is sometimes combined with other professional events in the Shanghai region, as the city also hosts CIFF Shanghai in September or the China Beauty Expo depending on the sector. Checking the full calendar of shows for the period avoids a one-off trip when two or three events could have been grouped into the same journey.

Sorva is a trading and sourcing house active between Europe and China, with a Chinese-speaking team based in Guangzhou. Our view on the CIIE stays clear: this show first serves a company that wants to sell in China, not a buyer looking for a Chinese factory. When a client consults us about the CIIE, our team helps check whether their goal really matches this show, or whether a targeted supplier search, outside any show, answers their need more directly.

For the vast majority of sourcing projects that reach us, a structured supplier search or a technical feasibility study moves faster than a one-off show visit. In most cases you pay no fees on the merchandise itself: you open a file, our team negotiates on your behalf and we take a commission on its ex-works value.