Shankar Koirala used to run a souvenir shop in Pokhara, the famed tourist city in Nepal. He came to China in 2015 to promote Nepali handicrafts, including handmade bags, cashmere scarves and ode bowls.

"I travel to China four to five times a year, taking part in different expos, but the CIIE is the best choice for me to reach the huge Chinese market," Koirala said. "Buyers from all over the country gather in Shanghai. They cooperate professionally, and manage business in a stable manner."

In 2020, he set up a company in Shanghai - Angel Hands - to deal with the import business, with 95 percent generated by Chinese consumers.

About a month ago, Koirala got a booth at the Nepal Import Pavilion, part of the CIIE platform offered for foreign exhibitors, at Greenland Global Commodity Trading Hub (G-Hub).

So far, the G-Hub features 180 merchants from 76 countries and regions, such as Syria, Cuba, Pakistan, Peru and Cambodia.

It remains open year-round to visitors, helping global vendors reach Chinese buyers, and enhance cultural communication.

Sun Chenghai, deputy director of the CIIE Bureau, said a total of 90 companies from 33 of the world's least-developed countries participated in the CIIE this year, with the country exhibition area witnessing the debut of 15 countries, such as Brunei, Syria, Mauritius, Palestine and Algeria.

"The CIIE builds a platform for constructing a community with a shared future for mankind, ushering in opportunities for both developed and developing nations," he said.