This photo taken on Nov. 2, 2023 shows the exterior view of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), the venue for the upcoming sixth China International Import Expo (CIIE), in Shanghai, east China. (Xinhua/Xin Mengchen)

SHANGHAI, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- On the first day of the 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE), the U.S. chemical giant Dow signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chinese company ZKH Group Limited.

According to the MoU, Dow will provide ZKH with silicone products valued at 300 million U.S. dollars to sell via online platforms, as well as with product and technical consulting services.

As the world's first import-themed national-level expo, the CIIE kicked off on Sunday in Shanghai, attracting participants and guests from 154 countries, regions, and international organizations this year.

"The CIIE is an important platform for us to showcase our latest innovative technologies for China and the Asia-Pacific region. It is a one-stop display of our R&D expertise and manufacturing know-how and highlights the valuable partnerships we have in China," said Puay Koon Chia, Dow Asia Pacific president.

This year, more than 200 U.S. exhibitors in semiconductors, medical devices, new energy vehicles, cosmetics, and other sectors attended the annual import expo, marking the largest U.S. presence in the history of the CIIE. Among the exhibitors are 17 from the agricultural and food industry, led by the U.S. government for the first time.

Since 2018, U.S. firms have been at the forefront of the CIIE participant countries in exhibition areas and exhibitor numbers.

In recent years, agriculture has become a focus of the China-U.S. economic and trade cooperation. In 2022, the trade volume of agricultural products between China and the United States exceeded 50 billion U.S. dollars, and the U.S. agricultural exports to China reached a record 42 U.S. billion dollars.

The Chinese market is very important and it has a lot of growth potential, said Jason Hafemeister, acting deputy under-secretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The American food and agriculture pavilion at the CIIE, spanning over 440 square meters, opened its doors to a vibrant surge of visitors on Monday. From coarse sea salt and Californian red blend wines to cheese, dairy, nuts, and berries, the pavilion was abuzz with consultations and negotiations.

At the opening ceremony of the pavilion, U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns noted that the United States and China have a vital economic and trade relationship, and the United States is not in favor of decoupling from China.

Busy promoting products at the booth, Connie Cheung from the Almond Board of California told Xinhua that the demand from over 1.4 billion Chinese people for healthy, nutritious, and sustainable products is driving sales in the market.

Brent Boydston, chairman of the U.S. Grains Council, said that the council has developed a strong trade relationship with China over the past 40-plus years and looks forward to deepening the partnership during this trip.

When the world economy is experiencing a lack of momentum for recovery, a bigger U.S. presence underscores the "richness" of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries and shows an accelerated pace of exchanges between the two massive economies, said Eric Zheng, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai.

In the previous five editions, the CIIE witnessed debuts of some 2,000 items of new products, technologies, and services and a total intended turnover reaching nearly 350 billion U.S. dollars. The grand event is proof of global participants' firm confidence in the Chinese market and its growth prospects.