After preparation for over a year, everything is getting ready for the first China International Import Expo that kicks off tomorrow, organizers said at a press conference yesterday.

“The CIIE is the first-ever national exhibition in the world with the theme on imports, and is expected to become a world-class expo that engages the best companies, exhibits the best products, builds the best environment, provides the best services, and achieves the best results,” said Wang Bingnan, Chinese vice minister of commerce.

On the morning of tomorrow, Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony of the first CIIE and the Hongqiao International Economic and Trade Forum and deliver a keynote speech, underscoring the nation’s commitment to open its markets wider and stock its shop shelves with products from all around the world.

Today, Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan will host a welcoming banquet for select participants of the expo.

Government leaders from more than 130 countries and heads of international organizations, global business leaders, well-known experts and scholars, and about 1,500 officials from China’s ministries, central agencies and regional governments will attend the opening ceremony, after which they will visit the country pavilions.

As an important part of the CIIE, the first Hongqiao International Economic and Trade Forum, themed as “Unleashing New Vigor in Global Trade, Creating a New Pattern for Open and Win-Win Cooperation,” will be an influential platform for government officials, entrepreneurs and scholars to discuss important topics in global trade and economy.

The forum consists of an opening ceremony and three parallel sessions, which separately focus on trade and opening-up, trade and innovation, and trade and investment.

The parallel sessions will feature guest speeches and panel discussions, with more than 2,000 participants.

Dozens of political leaders across the world have been invited to deliver speeches, and heads of international organizations, Chinese and overseas entrepreneurs, and experts and scholars will discuss a string of key issues.

“We hope the three parallel sessions will be a high-level platform for exchanges and dialogues on international trade and economy,” Wang said.

The National Comprehensive Trade and Investment Exhibition, a key component of the CIIE, has an area of about 30,000 square meters. In addition to China, it features 81 participating countries and international organizations such as the World Trade Organization, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the International Trade Center.

Of note, the pavilions of different countries have distinct features, and all materials used in building the booths and pavilions are module-based and recyclable. The national exhibition is for display only with no commercial transactions.

As for the business exhibition, it consists of trade in goods and services, featuring broad geography, huge presence of quality companies, new products and technologies, and high-level presentations, according to Wang.

“With 91 percent of the booths specially decorated, the business exhibition has seven sections with multiple highlights,” Wang said.

The seven sections are high-end intelligent equipment, automobile, consumer electronics and appliances, apparel, accessories and consumer goods, food and agricultural products, medical equipment and health care products, and trade in services.

Also, about 200 diverse and distinctive events will be held on the sidelines of the CIIE to promote business and boost its impact, Wang said.

The events cover six categories, which are the events held by participating countries, forums, press releases, business match-making, luncheons and dinners and receptions, and shows.

In the meantime, Shanghai has got all aspects of urban services ready by now after nearly one-year intense preparation, said Zhou Bo, executive vice mayor of Shanghai.

Shanghai will step up efforts to implement security measures such as conducting safety inspection on public transport routes, while restricting dangerous goods and smaller aircraft, in order to ensure a safe CIIE, Zhou said.

Also, the city has upgraded the National Exhibition and Convention Center, where the CIIE is held, and surrounding roads, and has remarked traffic sign lines which cover an area of 110,000 square meters around the halls, and set up 674 new signs.

“The city is running traffic security measures to address large passenger flows,” Zhou said. “We have also launched a navigation app for public transportand CIIE, in order to realize faster entry and exit of vehicles and people,” Zhou said.

To help equip the expo with qualified service providers, more than 540 training sessions have been held for 240,000 staff members in over 40 key areas such as airports, railway stations, and hotels within the city.

The city has recruited 5,438 exhibition volunteers, set up 315 urban volunteer service stations and about 250 volunteer service teams through cooperation with adjacent municipalities in the Yangtze River Delta region, and they have been providing volunteer services wearing uniforms since October 23.

“We have carried out three comprehensive urban security drills and more than 240 special drills since September, with an aim to discover problems and make improvements in a timely manner,” Zhou said.