Companies that have exhibited at all eight editions of the China International Import Expo (CIIE) have expressed strong confidence in China's high-level opening-up at this year's event, highlighting the event's role in driving growth, market access, and global collaboration. The ongoing 8th CIIE opened Wednesday in Shanghai, welcoming exhibitors and companies from around the world. Executives from several firms that have participated in every edition since the event's inauguration in 2018 reflected on their deepening engagement with the Chinese market and the strong momentum they see in China's continued openness. Among them is U.S. essential oil firm doTERRA, which took part in the inaugural CIIE in 2018 and landed an unexpected 380 million yuan (about 54 million U.S. dollars) in orders. Today, China has become doTERRA's second-largest market globally. "I joined the first session and listened to President Xi talking about, 'we're open to the world', and every year I hear the same message. The Chinese government has continued to improve a lot of their policies and procedures in terms of helping foreign investors and encouraging foreign investment. Over the last eight years our growth has followed the CIIE, you could say. We have really strong growth, sometimes over 50 percent a year. We source oils from 45 countries around the world, but we source the most from China, [where] a lot of people understand Ay Tsao (mugwort) or ginseng, so that category for us over the last three or four years has grown 20 to 30 percent every year," said Owen Messick, president of doTERRA China. Exhibitors across various sectors have had a similar experience over the past eight years. "I've been here since 2018, the first time. It has been a fantastic platform for us to interact with customers, officials, partners, and also expanding our collaborative networks in China. From our side, we continue our very strong commitment to the Chinese market, we'll continue to invest, and I'm particularly pleased with the government's efforts to open up and level the playing field to get a fair and balanced trade," said Dr. Laurent Leksell, founder and chairman of Sweden-based Elekta, a global medical radiation device manufacturer. At this year's CIIE, Swedish home furnishings giant IKEA revealed a Chinese New Year-inspired series with horse-themed designs as a nod to the traditional Chinese calendar. It also announced plans to launch more than 150 high-quality, affordable products in China in 2026. "It's a place where we launch many new products. It is about launches, it is about also gathering, building relations, and also getting feedback from our customers. Last year we announced the retail development center. It's a year now in, where we see big deliverables. So China is a strategic market for us," said Pontus Erntell, president and chief sustainability officer of IKEA China. Australian alpaca accessory company INJOI is another long-time exhibitor, having participated in the CIIE for eight consecutive years. Known for its plush toy designs, the brand has launched panda-themed collaborations and bag charms in recent years to better resonate with the Chinese market. "Our brand has grown alongside China. From zero, we've now expanded our sales channels into dozens of cities across China. Over the years, our annual growth has reached 30 percent to 40 percent," said Zhang Yunquan, CEO of INJOI Asia-Pacific. The video shows: Shanghai, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 1. Various of venue of 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE), flags Shanghai, China - Nov 6-7, 2025 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland) 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Owen Messick, president, doTERRA China (partially overlaid with shots 3-4): "I joined the first session and listened to President Xi talking about, 'we're open to the world', and every year I hear the same message. The Chinese government has continued to improve a lot of their policies and procedures in terms of helping foreign investors and encouraging foreign investment. Over the last eight years our growth has followed the CIIE, you could say. We have really strong growth, sometimes over 50 percent a year. We source oils from 45 countries around the world, but we source the most from China, [where] a lot of people understand Ay Tsao (mugwort) or ginseng, so that category for us over the last three or four years has grown 20 to 30 percent every year." ++SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 3. Various of glowing sign, products on display; herbs showcased as essential oil ingredients at expo 4. Various of exhibitors interacting with visitors ++SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ Shanghai, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 5. Aerial shot of venue of 8th CIIE Shanghai, China - Nov 6-7, 2025 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland) 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Laurent Leksell, founder and chairman, Elekta (starting with shot 5/partially overlaid with shot 7): "I've been here since 2018, the first time. It has been a fantastic platform for us to interact with customers, officials, partners, and also expanding our collaborative networks in China. From our side, we continue our very strong commitment to the Chinese market, we'll continue to invest, and I'm particularly pleased with the government's efforts to open up and level the playing field to get a fair and balanced trade." ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 7. Various of visitors exploring exhibition booths ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 8. Various of IKEA's booth at expo, products on display 9. SOUNDBITE (English) Pontus Erntell, president and chief sustainability officer, IKEA China (starting with shot 8/ending with shot 10): "It's a place where we launch many new products. It is about launches, it is about also gathering, building relations, and also getting feedback from our customers. Last year we announced the retail development center. It's a year now in, where we see big deliverables. So China is a strategic market for us." 10. Various of IKEA's Chinese New Year-inspired collection 11. Various of INJOI's booth, plush toys of alpaca, giant pandas 12. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhang Yunquan, CEO, INJOI Asia-Pacific (ending with shot 13): "Our brand has grown alongside China. From zero, we've now expanded our sales channels into dozens of cities across China. Over the years, our annual growth has reached 30 percent to 40 percent." 13. Various of INJOI's products on display [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]