Owen Messick, president of dōTERRA China, a seasoned CIIE participant celebrating its 10th anniversary in China, remarked on the event's impressive scale. "This year's CIIE is the biggest yet. It was just crowds of people. Our booth is now 300 square meters, the largest we've ever had," he said.

With about 3,500 exhibitors from 129 countries and regions, this year's CIIE highlighted China's digitalization in streamlining international business operations. Pablo Machado, president of Business Management at Suzano Asia, lauded China's pioneering role in digital document exchange.

"The only country in the world where we do all shipping documentation exchange including bill of lading, letters of credit, and invoicing is China. We did our first imports into China 100 percent digitalized." Machado noted a significant reduction in import lead times, from 10 days to three days.

Echoing this sentiment, Jelena Grubor Stefanovi?, director of the Representative Office of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China, expressed admiration for Shanghai's blend of tradition and innovation.

"It's so easy to fall in love with China. The digital aspects of the convenience, the beauty of the city, the old, and the new in Shanghai." Stefanovi? emphasized the significance of platforms like CIIE for fostering understanding.