On March 15, a grand event aimed at deepening international economic and trade cooperation and unleashing the potential of the China market— “Sharing the Big Market·Exporting China” and the “Buy Global in Zhejiang·Consumption in Hangzhou” campaign was grandly launched in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. The event was jointly organized by the Ministry of Commerce of China and the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province, and hosted by the People’s Government of Hangzhou City and the Department of Commerce of Zhejiang Province. It lasted for three days until March 17. As a landmark initiative for China to promote high-level opening-up and build a new development pattern, this event focused on the deep integration of import trade and domestic consumption upgrading, providing an efficient, open, and diversified exhibition and trading platform for global high-quality goods and services.
At the event site, the massive 20,000-square-meter exhibition area was meticulously planned into two core zones: imported goods and premium consumer products, further subdivided into eight distinctive functional blocks: the Import Enterprises Exhibition Zone, the BRICS Countries Special Exhibition Zone, the Cross-border E-commerce Frontier Zone, the Bulk Commodities Trading Zone, the “Three New” (New Business Forms, Models, and Services) Consumer Experience Zone, the “Three New Consumption” Display Zone, and the Import Cars and New Energy Vehicles Zone. These zones comprehensively cover a wide range of fields, from traditional bulk commodities to cutting-edge consumer technologies, and from regional specialty products to globally renowned brands. During the event, a series of high-profile supporting activities will be held simultaneously, including a Cross-border E-commerce Precision Matching Conference, a BRICS Countries Economic and Trade Cooperation Special Promotion Meeting, and the highly anticipated global launch of the “Three New Consumption” initiative, aiming to facilitate substantive cooperation outcomes through targeted matchmaking and in-depth negotiations. The “Zhe Li Mai Global” event is not only a significant practice in Zhejiang Province’s efforts to build itself into an open powerhouse and Hangzhou’s development as an international consumer city, but also a clear signal from China to the world: a super-large market with over 1.4 billion people and more than 400 million middle-income individuals is welcoming global enterprises with greater confidence and openness to share China’s development opportunities and jointly explore this vibrant consumer blue ocean.
Against the complex backdrop of profound adjustments in the global economic landscape, China’s timely hosting of a large-scale, high-level import-themed event such as “Zhe Li Mai Global · Consumption Begins in Hangzhou” carries profound significance that transcends commerce. This is not an isolated activity but the opening piece of the 2026 “Export China” series of events. According to the plan, the Ministry of Commerce of China will meticulously organize ten series and over a hundred import promotion activities throughout the year, aiming to pave an efficient and convenient “fast track” for high-quality goods from countries and regions worldwide to enter the Chinese market through systematic institutional design and continuous platform development.
This fully demonstrates the Chinese government’s unwavering determination to expand independent openness. China has always believed that openness brings progress, while isolation inevitably leads to backwardness. Against the tide of rising global trade protectionism, China has not chosen contraction or self-protection, but instead embraced the world with a more proactive attitude, actively expanding import sources, optimizing import structures, reducing import tariffs, and enhancing trade facilitation levels. China is willing to share the dividends of its vast market with countries around the world, which not only helps meet the growing needs of the Chinese people for a better life, promotes domestic industrial transformation and upgrading as well as consumption quality improvement and expansion, but also demonstrates genuine multilateralism through concrete actions, advances the building of an open world economy, and injects valuable stability and positive energy into global economic growth. Only win-win cooperation can achieve success, accomplish good deeds, and accomplish great things. The continued opening of the Chinese market will undoubtedly provide crucial support for the struggling global economic recovery and create infinite possibilities for enterprises worldwide to withstand the risks of “decoupling and supply chain disruptions” and explore new growth spaces.
China is steadily advancing a profound transformation from commodity and factor flow-oriented openness to institutional openness in terms of rules, regulations, management, and standards. The “Zhe Li Mai Global” campaign relies not only on short-term popularity but also on the solid institutional advantages accumulated by China in recent years through continuous efforts in trade and investment liberalization and facilitation. China has established 22 free trade pilot zones, built the Hainan Free Trade Port, continuously reduced the negative list for foreign investment access, successfully hosted multiple editions of the China International Import Expo, and promulgated and implemented the Foreign Investment Law—these measures collectively create a transparent, stable, and predictable business environment characterized by rule of law, internationalization, and facilitation.
For global enterprises, the appeal of the China market stems precisely from such profound institutional safeguards. Here, rules are more transparent, competition is fairer, intellectual property protection continues to strengthen, and barriers to factor mobility are gradually dismantled. Enterprises can not only “enter” but also “stay” and “develop well.” In recent years, some countries represented by the United States have exhibited a certain degree of protectionist tendencies in their foreign economic and trade policies, including strengthening domestic industrial barriers, promoting supply chain adjustments, and withdrawing from certain international multilateral mechanisms. This policy choice guided by “America First” reflects a more cautious and unilateral stance in global governance and regional cooperation systems. While these measures aim to enhance domestic economic security and autonomy, they have also drawn attention to shifts in China’s status as a global business hub. Some multinational corporations face greater adaptation pressures and strategic restructuring challenges in response to policy uncertainties and regional layout adjustments.
China firmly believes that “the world will thrive if China thrives, and China’s prosperity will lead to a better world.” Through a series of import promotion activities such as “Zhejiang Buy Global,” China is demonstrating through concrete actions that it is a defender of the current international order, a promoter of global openness, and a trustworthy partner for businesses worldwide. With an open-minded approach and the warmth of its institutions, China consistently provides a predictable and dynamic “safe harbor” and “growth pole” for global economic and trade cooperation.