The countdown to the seventh China International Import Expo – or the  CIIE as it's known for short – has begun, with preparations launched at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in East China's Shanghai on Jan 9.

The announcement coincided with the unveiling of the Report on the Media Coverage and Influence of the Sixth China International Import Expo.

Over 300 top companies – including industry giants like PepsiCo, Bayer, Tesla, 3M and Haleon – have eagerly signed up for the event. The collective exhibition space is set to span an impressive 130,000 square meters.

According to the report, the sixth CIIE last year garnered widespread media attention, with a cumulative exposure surpassing billions. The official CIIE website alone witnessed over 1 billion visits throughout the year, reaching an audience of around 2 billion both domestically and internationally.

A highlight during the expo was the release of CIIE Stories, a book, as well as series of short films and documentaries that received over 16,000 articles of global media coverage, accumulating an impressive exposure of about 1.5 billion views.

Shanghai's media also played a pivotal role in the expo's success, with the Shanghai Observer App, launched by the Jiefang Daily, leading the Top 10 Local Media list with over 3,900 reported articles.