SHANGHAI, July 18 (Xinhua) -- European companies pin high hopes on the second China International Import Expo (CIIE), especially on more concrete measures on opening the Chinese market, said Carlo D'Andrea, Vice President at the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China.

"The first time I heard of the CIIE was in 2017, and I thought it would be an important moment for our chamber since CIIE is not an ordinary trade fair but China's contribution to the global free trade system," he said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

Heads of state, government leaders and officials from 172 countries, regions and international organizations, as well as over 3,600 companies from around the world, attended last year's first CIIE, which impressed D'Andrea greatly.

"Regarding the feedback from our members, participation was important, as companies had the chance to meet with Chinese consumers and find new partners," he said.

The second CIIE, which is scheduled in early November this year, is set to be larger in scale and better in quality than last year.

Given the fact that China was the second-largest partner for EU exports and the largest partner for EU imports in 2018, D'Andrea expects that more members would actively participate the CIIE this year, as they have seen tremendous business opportunities from China's ongoing consumption upgrade and stronger purchasing power.

Apart from providing an opportunity for enterprises across the world to enter the huge Chinese market, D'Andrea said the CIIE has been regarded as a great moment to announce new measures of reform and opening-up.

Major measures for a higher level of opening-up such as further lowering tariffs and streamlining customs clearance, consistently relaxing control over market access, cultivating a world-class business environment, establishing more pilot free trade zones and promoting multilateral and bilateral cooperation were announced during the first CIIE.

"CIIE is a moment where all eyes of the world will be on China, and this could be a great moment to have important announcements followed by actions to show its willingness to open the market," he said.

In terms of business cooperation, D'Andrea noted that China and European countries have much to offer to each other with a high degree of convergence of interests.

"It is worth noticing that protectionism harms everyone. As one of the most important bilateral relations in the world, China and Europe should work together to offset the negative influence of protectionism and re-energize the world economy."

Founded in 2000, the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China now has more than 1,600 members in nine Chinese cities. According to its newly released "China Business Confidence Survey 2019," European companies in China continue to see solid revenue growth, and 62 percent of respondents view China as a top-three destination for present and future investment.