TENTATIVE agreements worth a record high of US$83.49 billion were inked for one-year purchases of goods and services as the 8th China International Import Expo concluded yesterday, representing a 4.4 percent year-on-year increase.

From Wednesday to yesterday, 4,108 exhibitors from 155 nations, regions and international organizations participated in national and corporate exhibitions spanning 430,000 square meters, with 449,500 professional visitors registered, exceeding past expos.

“The success of the expo shows that China is not only a huge consumer market but also a cooperative partner ready to achieve mutual success and share benefits with the world,” said Wu Zhengping, deputy director-general of the China International Import Expo Bureau.

The expo focused on innovation and sustainable development. Over 460 new goods, technologies and services were introduced. Leading firms in next-generation IT, AI, and green technology create opportunities that will transform people’s lives in the near future.

What piqued the interest of both purchasers and visitors was most likely the new trip mode, which included smart driving and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL).

The Tesla Cybercab made its Asia-Pacific debut at the expo. Its unique design, with a golden streamlined body and the absence of a steering wheel and pedals, gave visitors the impression that the era of autonomous driving, aided by “end-to-end neural network” technology, had arrived.

Tesla’s demonstration area was designed to resemble a future city block, with solar panels on rooftops turning solar energy into electricity, which is then stored in Tesla’s Powerwall home energy storage system. The entire block is powered by Tesla’s Megapack utility-scale commercial energy storage system. Environmentally friendly Tesla cars are on the road, while robots assist their owners in walking dogs and doing chores, and Cybercabs wait for passengers to board.

Meanwhile, the eVTOLs displayed at the expo also depict a future with more transport methods. Chinese eVTOL company INFLYNC, in collaboration with the UK aircraft leasing company EFI Aviation, unveiled the world’s first full-scale tilt-ducted-fan eVTOL aircraft at the expo.

The INFLYNC L600 features a maximum range that reaches 600 kilometers, with a cruising speed of 360km per hour. It can carry one pilot and five passengers and also supports the transport of two stretchers. It is expected that in the future, it will provide users with helicopter-level travel efficiency at the cost of high-speed rail tickets.

“The INFLYNC L600 will drive a serialized development path for passenger transport, business travel, rescue and cargo, building a new ecosystem of aerial transportation that is multi-scenario and full-coverage,” said Jiang Bin, founder and CEO of INFLYNC.

Shanghai-based Volant Aerotech signed a procurement order for 30 VE25-100 eVTOLs and a strategic cooperation agreement with Dubai-based aircraft finance company IC Leasing and German business aviation operator DC Aviation.

However, the high-tech future cannot be reached without sustainable development. Green industries, recycling materials and environmentally friendly technologies were of great concern at the expo.

The concept of sustainable development was revealed through various products and displays at the expo. Michelin brought a new type of tire that uses a high proportion of renewable and recycled materials, including natural rubber, recycled carbon black and recovered steel. It also incorporates bio-based materials extracted from organics such as rice husks, orange peels and sunflower seeds.

“Our goal is that by 2050, all tires will be produced from 100 percent renewable and recycled materials,” said Serge Godefroid, research and development director of Michelin China.

In the field of battery safety and cycling, Toyota showcased its Sweep energy storage system as a solution to address the challenge of recycling retired batteries. The Sweep energy cabinet, the i-eSCube, is the result of a solution jointly provided by Toyota and China Minmetals.

The energy cabinet can hold eight batteries, has a total capacity of 370 kilowatt-hours, and is suitable for various scenarios such as factory parks and new-energy power plants. The product is expected to go on sale in the second half of next year.

Consumer goods companies like Procter & Gamble and Japan-based Kao also displayed the concept of recycling and carbon neutrality in their manufacturing.

P&G shared the PV-storage-charging integrated solution at its east China plant. This project creates a comprehensive green energy supply system that integrates photovoltaic power generation, energy storage and heavy-duty truck charging, supporting the electrification transformation of heavy trucks and enhancing logistics sustainability.

Kao expected the company’s energy consumption per 10,000 yuan of output value to decrease by 18 percent compared with 2020, while carbon dioxide emissions would decrease by 45 percent and water usage would be reduced by 58 percent.

“The Kao plant in Shanghai is advancing carbon neutrality through measures such as promoting photovoltaic power generation, optimizing the energy structure and implementing energy-saving renovations,” said Masaru Takeyasu, chairman of Kao (China) Holding Co.

Sustainable development was also a key topic at the Hongqiao International Economic Forum on the sidelines of the import expo.

One of its sub-forums, organized by the think tank Center for China and Globalization, addressed the contradictions in the current global green trade landscape. On one hand, the urgency of climate change response and the huge market potential of green industries are generating strong trade demand, and on the other hand, the fragmentation of green standards across countries and the rise of unilateral measures like carbon tariffs are forming new trade barriers, severely hindering the coordinated progress of the global green transition.

“Green development is becoming a global consensus, and energy transition, low-carbon industries and green finance are reshaping the global industrial and technological landscape,” said Wang Huiyao, chairman of the board of the center.

“China should promote its green development experiences, technologies and industries globally, especially by forming sustainable industrial clusters in developing countries, while strengthening cooperation with developed nations like the United States and Europe regarding technical exchange.”