The conference will focus on three key areas, including implementing emissions reduction targets, delivering climate finance to developing countries, and strengthening adaptation and resilience, with the aim of turning commitments made at previous climate summits into tangible outcomes, according to the organizers.
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said at the opening session that 90 percent of large renewable projects are now cheaper than fossil fuels, warning that “progress is nowhere near fast or fair enough.”
Highlighting the severe economic fallout, Stiell said this year’s “fossil fuel cost chaos has delivered a global shockwave, hitting households hard and spreading inflation like a cancer.” He called for delivering on adaptation finance, tripling global renewables capacity, and slashing super-polluting methane emissions.
COP31 President and Turkish Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum outlined several initiatives, including a “Climate Implementation Bridge” aimed at connecting climate projects with investors and a “35-by-35 Global Electrification Pledge” seeking to raise electricity’s share of global energy consumption to 35 percent by 2035.
Meanwhile, Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen, who serves as COP31 president of negotiations, highlighted inequalities in access to climate finance, saying, “The countries that need climate finance the most are getting it the least.”
To address this issue, Bowen pointed to an “Access to Finance Statement and Action Plan” for vulnerable nations, stressing that “finance must be disbursed faster. More simply. And more fairly.” He promised a concrete, action-oriented final decision by the end of the conference.
The conference, which runs through Nov. 20, brings together government officials and representatives of international organizations, research institutions, businesses and non-governmental organizations from nearly 200 countries and regions, organizers said.
A robot performs in front of the China Pavilion at the event venue of the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), in Antalya, Türkiye, Nov. 9, 2026. The 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) President and Turkish Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum speaks during the opening session of the COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, Nov. 9, 2026.
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and other regional countries favored maintaining the current U.S. naval blockade of Iran alongside the newly launched Operation Iron Gate, which seeks to restrict Iran’s land-based supply routes, Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.
All these countries “would prefer the status quo,” Trump wrote, adding that they all agree that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, which he called “non-negotiable.” Iran has repeatedly maintained that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.
Meanwhile, Trump warned that U.S. forces remain ready for further military action though the possibility of renewed military strikes on Iran is low.
“Should there be any change with respect to developments in the Middle East, the United States of America is ‘locked and loaded’ and ready to go,” Trump said. “At this point, however, that seems to be quite unlikely.”
“We are seeing positive momentum toward an end to this Conflict,” Trump said, offering no details.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that diplomatic efforts had made little progress and that a breakthrough was not imminent.
US President Donald Trump takes questions from reporters following a meeting with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani at the White House in Washington DC, US, November 9, 2026. /VCG
“Right now, it hasn’t been very productive because the Iranian demands are simply not just unacceptable, but in some cases … really not realistic,” Rubio told reporters in Florida before departing for France to attend a Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers’ meeting.
“I wouldn’t say we’re at the verge of a breakthrough,” said Rubio, reiterating that the Trump administration preferred a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
In an interview earlier on Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump told CNN that it is “highly unlikely” for the United States to resume large-scale military strikes against Iran as long as negotiations make progress. He did not rule out the possibility of further military action.
The U.S. Central Command announced on Saturday the formation of Task Force Iron Gate, a unit of about 20 military and civilian personnel tasked with coordinating efforts across U.S. government agencies to disrupt the movement of advanced weapons and other materials across Iran’s land borders and other routes.
Trump said on social media Sunday that the task force was “in full force and effect” in Iran, and that, combined with the U.S. naval blockade, “very little gets into, or out of, Iran.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that diplomatic efforts to end the U.S.-Iran conflict have made little progress, calling Iran’s demands “unacceptable.”
Katz made the remarks at a memorial ceremony, adding that Israel “cannot accept these threats” and would act as necessary.
Israel is “more determined than ever” to “preempt threats and pursue a proactive and offensive policy against its enemies,” he said.
Katz also vowed that Israeli troops would not withdraw from areas they occupy in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, warning that Hezbollah would face severe strikes if it joined Iran in an attack on Israel.
He urged Israelis to unite “ahead of the major tasks that still lie before us” when national security is at stake.
His remarks came as opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot seeks to form a government following an election that deprived Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc of its parliamentary majority.
Katz offered no evidence to support his claim on Iran. On October 27, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said the UN nuclear watchdog had detected no Iranian efforts to repair or rebuild nuclear facilities damaged in the United States and Israeli strikes in 2025 and 2026, though inspectors’ limited access has prevented full verification of Iran’s nuclear activities.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday that Israel’s mission against Iran is “not yet complete,” reiterating allegations that Tehran is seeking to revive efforts to obtain nuclear weapons, which Iran has denied repeatedly.
Held on November 7, the forum was hosted by the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province under the theme “Economic and Trade Prosperity, Cultural Mutual Learning, Win-Win Partnership, and People-to-People Bonds”.
This year’s forum focused on economic and trade cooperation as its main thrust, highlighting the principle of letting the market play the leading role and enabling major platforms to support and deliver big cooperation initiatives.
For the first time, the main venue was set in Yiwu, showcasing open platforms such as the Yiwu International Trade Market, the Yiwu Global Digital Trade Centre, and the Chinagoods digital platform, as well as institutional innovations including market procurement trade, cross-border e-commerce, and overseas warehouse development.
Strengthening investment cooperation is an important pathway for China and Africa to deepen industrial and supply chain integration, jointly tackle challenges, and achieve common development.
During the forum, 49 China-Africa cooperation projects were signed, including the Kinshasa Yiwu Market project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the 105MW photovoltaic project in Tati, Botswana, the China-Africa Cross-border Logistics Supply Chain Ecosystem Co-building project, and African mineral import projects, with a total value of 40.96 billion yuan. The projects cover trade, overseas investment, engineering contracting, and foreign cooperation, among other areas.
Side events supporting economic and trade cooperation were equally rich. A series of economic and trade exchange activities held concurrently further promoted industrial and supply chain coordination, supported Africa’s green development and the global expansion of Zhejiang’s competitive industries, and helped achieve mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.
These included the China-Africa Industrial Cooperation and Sustainable Development Exchange Conference, the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Cooperation Exchange Conference, Forum on China-Africa Industrial Cooperation and Cross-border E-commerce Development and the Second National China-Africa Trade Index Seminar, and the 2026 China-Africa Trade Commodity Exhibition.
The forum released a number of cooperation outcomes. Two important outcomes under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation were unveiled: the China-Africa Trade Digitalization Trust Verification Platform, released by China Article Numbering Center Co., Ltd., and the 2026 Corporate Social Responsibility Report of Chinese Business in Africa, released by the China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals & Chemicals Importers & Exporters and the China Alliance for Social Responsibility of Chinese Enterprises in Africa.
In terms of economic and trade cooperation, Yiwu released World’s Yiwu: Bridging China and Africa Through Trade — A New China-Africa Trade & Economic Cooperation Model, showcasing Yiwu’s new mechanisms and pathways for business cooperation with the African market.
The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Zhejiang Provincial Committee released the Zero-Tariff Trade with Africa Compliance Guide, helping to enhance the quality and efficiency of practical China-Africa economic and trade cooperation.
The 15th Meeting of the China-Africa Think Tanks Forum was held concurrently. Founded in 2011 and later incorporated into the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the forum has held 14 sessions in China and Africa, producing a series of think tank outcomes with international influence.
Among them, four outcomes, including the “China-Africa Dar es Salaam Consensus” jointly released by the forum and scholars from more than 50 African countries, were written into the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Action Plan (2025-2027).
This year’s 15th meeting, themed “Openness, Cooperation, Mutual Learning and Shared Development: China and Africa Joining Hands to Advance Modernization”, featured four sub-topics, including “Advance the Comprehensive Zero-tariff Arrangement and Establish a New Framework for China Africa Cooperation on Industrial and Supply Chains”.
It released outcomes including the “Think Tank Action Declaration on Advancing Modernization in the Global South Through China-Africa Cooperation” and the “China-Africa Consensus on Mutual Learning Between Civilizations”. African think tanks from South Africa, Gabon, and other countries signed cooperation agreements with the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University.
As one of the important side events under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the Forum on China-Africa Economic, Trade and Cultural Cooperation has seen its profile steadily rise and its influence continue to expand, becoming an important platform for Zhejiang to serve the country’s overall diplomacy and support the modernization of the Global South.
Since 2024, the forum has facilitated the signing of more than 100 cooperation projects with Africa, with a total value exceeding 120 billion yuan, injecting new momentum into China-Africa cooperation as it moves toward higher quality, deeper levels, and broader areas.
This year’s forum focused on economic and trade cooperation as its main thrust, highlighting the principle of letting the market play the leading role and enabling major platforms to support and deliver big cooperation initiatives.
Representative Richard Neal, the Democrat expected to regain the chairmanship of the tax- and trade-focused House Ways and Means Committee, told a trade conference on Friday that he is committed to reversing the “unjustified” tariffs imposed by Trump and his “backroom deals” on trade.
“I’m committed to reversing Trump’s unjustified tariffs and pursuing trade policy that is grounded in good governance and transparency,” Neal said in an address to the conference, hosted by Katherine Tai, former U.S. trade representative under the administration of former President Joe Biden.
Neal said Trump’s deliberately chaotic trade policies had increased living costs and widened inequality between workers and the wealthiest Americans. He gave no specifics of his legislative agenda, but said his priority was to keep Mexico and Canada inside the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, whose six-year review he said leaves room for improvement.
In the U.S. Senate, Ron Wyden, who will chair the Finance Committee in January, said he would use the panel to reassert congressional authority over trade policy, bringing down costs and ending what he called “disastrous and corrupt tariffs.”
“There is overwhelming support for repealing the tariffs on products from Canada,” Wyden said, adding that he was already talking with colleagues about legislation once the new Congress convenes.
House Democrats struck the same note earlier in the week. At a news conference led by Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, the party promised to pass a bill to stop the tariffs, while Representative Debbie Dingell of Michigan said she and Representative Gregory Meeks of New York have been working for months on legislation against the Canada tariffs.
U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin also said ending the tariffs on Canada was “very much on our agenda,” arguing that the Constitution gives Congress, not the president, power over tariffs.
The push has drawn at least one sympathetic voice from the other side. Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas has lamented that “tariffs have made everything too expensive.”
Oumar, a businessman from Mali, has witnessed firsthand how China‑Africa trade evolves: from conventional hardware and small commodities to fast‑rising new energy vehicles. Having rooted himself in Yiwu for 16 years, he looks forward to broader, win‑win possibilities for China‑Africa cooperation.
Oumar comes from Mali. He came to Yiwu to pursue his studies in 2009. He spent two years learning Chinese, followed by three years studying International Economy and Trade, and graduated in 2015.
After graduation, he stayed in Yiwu and co-founded Yiwu AICE Trading Co., Ltd. with his elder brother. Their business focuses on exporting hardware and metal products.
Every year, more than 200 containers are shipped from Yiwu to various African countries. He is mainly in charge of finance, while also following up on orders and daily operations. He has built a solid reputation among suppliers thanks to his credibility and long-term partnerships.
In recent years, he has ventured into automobile sales, optimistic about the prospects of new energy vehicles in Africa.
Meanwhile, he hopes to bring African agricultural products to China. Having lived in Yiwu for 16 years, he and his family have settled down there. He says Yiwu has become his “second home”.
Mackenzie, who led the Good News International Ministries, was convicted alongside 28 accomplices for directing followers to starve themselves and their children to death so they could meet Jesus.
Justice Diana Mochache said Mackenzie bore the primary responsibility for the killings, describing his actions as deliberate and calculated.
“The sentence is appropriate and just, to send an unmistakable message that such atrocities warrant the maximum penalties allowed by law,” she said.
The court imposed 100 years in prison for murder by starvation and another 100 years for offences related to direct homicide. The two sentences will run consecutively, bringing his total prison term to 200 years.
The sentences within each category will run concurrently.
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty, arguing that the scale and circumstances of the killings warranted the harshest possible punishment.
However, Justice Mochache declined to impose capital punishment, saying it would eliminate any possibility of rehabilitation. Kenya has not carried out an execution since 1987.
Mackenzie was arrested in 2023 following the discovery of hundreds of bodies in shallow graves in Shakahola Forest, near the coastal town of Malindi.
The investigation shocked Kenya and drew international attention, with more than 400 bodies eventually recovered from the forest. However, the trial and convictions covered 191 deaths.
Twenty-eight accomplices were also convicted for their roles in the killings and received prison sentences ranging up to 160 years.
They included guards who enforced Mackenzie’s fasting orders and gravediggers who helped conceal victims’ bodies in shallow graves.
The court heard that followers who resisted the instructions to fast were beaten, while children were subjected to prolonged hunger and denied food and water.
Justice Mochache described the killings as cold and calculated, noting that the perpetrators had shown no remorse.
Post-mortem examinations established starvation as the cause of death for most victims, while others died from suffocation, strangulation or head injuries.
Some bodies were too decomposed for the cause of death to be established, while other victims died shortly after being rescued because of severe malnutrition.
Mackenzie and his co-accused had denied the charges, insisting that nobody had been forced to die. His lawyer, Lawrence Obonyo, said the defence would appeal the ruling.
Questions over authorities’ response
The Shakahola killings have raised questions about the oversight of religious organisations and the failure of authorities to act on warnings about the cult’s activities.
Mackenzie had been on the radar of authorities since 2017, when police searched his premises. His church in Malindi was shut down in 2019, after which he moved to Shakahola Forest and encouraged followers to join him.
Investigations by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights found that local administration and law enforcement officials had repeatedly ignored warning signs.
Francis Wanje, who lost eight relatives, including two grandchildren, in the tragedy, said he had reported the matter to police in March 2023 but expected authorities to intervene sooner.
He told the BBC that he had hoped Mackenzie would receive a sentence that matched the scale of his crimes.
The discoveries prompted President William Ruto to establish a commission of inquiry and later a task force to review the legal and regulatory framework governing religious organisations.
However, the commission was subsequently declared unconstitutional, while proposed reforms to strengthen oversight have yet to be enacted.
The Kenya Human Rights Commission described the convictions as an important step but called for broader accountability, arguing that local administrators, police, intelligence officers and religious leaders had failed to respond to repeated warning signs.
Mackenzie also faces separate manslaughter and terrorism charges, which he denies.
Although the 200-year sentence marks a major development in the Shakahola case, the fate of hundreds of other victims recovered from the forest remains part of the wider tragedy.
Paul Mackenzie, who led the Good News International Ministries, was convicted alongside 28 accomplices for directing followers to starve themselves and their children to death so they could meet Jesus.
“I don’t see any good reason why we will not be successful in China in the upcoming decades,” said WFL Managing Director Stefan Hackl. His company will make a double debut: its first appearance at the import expo after more than 20 years in the Chinese market, and the Asian debut of its brand-new machine tool.
The company’s confidence is rooted in part in the vision behind the CIIE, an initiative championed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has personally planned and steered its development. Designed to give overseas businesses greater access to the vast and growing Chinese market, the expo has increasingly turned China’s development into opportunities for the world.
Now in its ninth year, the CIIE has become a regular fixture on the global trade calendar. Running from Nov. 5 to 10, the expo will bring together 4,142 overseas exhibitors, including more than 2,000 first-time participants like WFL.
In the weeks leading up to the expo, shipments from around the world continued to arrive in Shanghai, bringing in a diverse range of products, from Peruvian bananas and French tires to Australian coffee and Kazakh ice cream, all ready to meet buyers at the event.
As the world’s first national-level exhibition dedicated to imports, the CIIE offers a compelling response to rising protectionism and trade barriers. Rather than viewing trade as a competition for a limited share of global demand, it seeks to make the world economic pie bigger by creating opportunities for businesses and economies to grow together.
“Our aim is to turn the China market into a market for the world, a market shared by all, and a market accessible to all,” Xi has said. “This way, we will be able to bring more positive energy to the global community.”
A promise kept
In his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the first CIIE in 2018, Xi said the expo is “an important decision made by China to pursue a new round of high-level opening-up, and is China’s major initiative to still widen market access to the rest of the world.”
“China’s initiative to expand imports is not a choice of expediency. It is a future-oriented step taken to embrace the world and promote common development,” Xi said, pledging that the event would be held annually and “feature good performance, good results and continued success in the years to come.”
Eight years on, the CIIE has grown into a premier global platform for trade, investment and cultural exchanges, connecting businesses, innovators and consumers from around the world. The promise of an annual expo with lasting results has been borne out by its growth.
Past editions have drawn more than 180 countries, regions and international organizations and seen more than 3,400 new products, technologies and services make their debut, while cumulative intended deals have exceeded 580 billion U.S. dollars, according to the organizer.
“The CIIE is far more than a trade show,” said Jérôme Vanachter, president of Lesaffre Greater China. The French yeast maker is back for a ninth consecutive edition this year.
Calling the expo a “market-intelligence hub,” Vanachter said the CIIE helps turn market insights into products.
Past expos have also seen Xi announce a series of opening-up measures, including advancing the development of pilot free trade zones and the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), continuously trimming the negative lists for foreign investment, and expanding the opening of telecommunications, healthcare and other services.
These pledges were followed by concrete actions. In November 2024, China removed the last two manufacturing-related restrictions from its national negative list for foreign investment. Last December, the Hainan FTP launched island-wide special customs operations, a milestone in China’s drive for high-standard opening-up.
“Today, the CIIE has become a showcase of China’s new development paradigm, a platform for high-standard opening-up, and a public good for the whole world,” Xi said at the fifth edition of the event in 2022.
The role of the CIIE in China’s opening-up agenda is expected to continue in the years ahead. In its five-year development blueprint for the 2026-2030 period, the country has called for expanding imports and continuing to hold the CIIE and other major trade fairs, including the Canton Fair in south China, while strengthening trade-promotion platforms.
A market shared by all
“Economic globalization represents the trend of history,” Xi said at the second CIIE in 2019, likening it to the world’s great rivers — the Yangtze, the Nile, the Amazon and the Danube, which all “surge forward in relentless flow, and nothing can stop their mighty movement.”
China has been translating this vision into action by opening wider. Quality products from an increasing number of countries are finding a foothold in the Chinese market, generating profits for businesses, wages for workers and tax revenues in their home countries.
For 17 consecutive years, China has remained the world’s second-largest importer. Also in the first three quarters of 2026, the country’s imports rose 22.3 percent year on year, significantly outpacing export growth.
“The vastly huge China market is the most promising in the world,” Xi noted at the third CIIE in 2020, citing the country’s huge population and vast middle-income group.
The country’s retail sales of consumer goods surpassed 50 trillion yuan (about 7.44 trillion U.S. dollars) for the first time last year, and are expected to grow by another 10 trillion yuan over the next five years.
The appeal of the Chinese market is reflected in the growing participation of global businesses in the CIIE, which has attracted a record number of more than 300 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders this year.
In terms of exhibition space, U.S. exhibitors lead for the eighth consecutive year, occupying more than 50,000 square meters, while companies from Germany, the United Kingdom and France also rank among the top participants.
Over 480 products are set to make their global, Asian or China debut at the event, the highest number in history, underscoring the Chinese market’s growing role as a launchpad for global innovation.
Under Xi’s leadership, China has also sought to make the opportunities offered by its market more accessible to developing countries. For years, the CIIE has provided free exhibition booths to exhibitors from the world’s least developed countries.
This year, according to the organizer, the exhibition area for African businesses is set to increase steadily, while the space allocated for free booths for the least developed countries will expand by 17 percent.
An official delegation from Cote d’Ivoire will make its first appearance at the CIIE’s business exhibition this year, showcasing cocoa, coffee, cashews and kola nuts. In May, a zero-tariff policy took effect on imports from all 53 African countries with which China has diplomatic relations.
“We are very happy to participate for the first time,” said Rami Koné, an official with the country’s export agency. “This will be a good opportunity to showcase Cote d’Ivoire to the world.”
“Of the problems confronting the world economy, none can be resolved by a single country alone,” Xi once said. “We must all put the common good of humanity first rather than place one’s own interest above the common interest of all.”
As Xi has pledged, China will continue to open its arms to the world, offering countries greater opportunities for market access, investment and growth. “Together, we can achieve development for all,” he has said.
This photo taken on Nov. 2, 2026 shows a view of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), the main venue for the China International Import Expo (CIIE), in east China’s Shanghai. The ninth edition of the CIIE will take place in Shanghai from Nov. 5 to 10. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)
Adopting its annual enlargement package, the EU executive outlined milestones for Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine, while stressing that progress toward membership depends on reforms.
Ukraine has opened four groups of negotiating chapters over the past year and meets the conditions to open all remaining groups, the Commission said.
It called on Ukraine to focus on rule-of-law benchmarks, democratic institutions, public administration reform and an action plan on national minorities. Specialized anti-corruption institutions continued to operate “overall independently and effectively,” it said.
Montenegro is closest to completing talks, having provisionally closed 21 negotiating chapters. It could close the remaining chapters by the end of this year, with work on its accession treaty already underway.
Albania aims to conclude negotiations in 2027, while Moldova is targeting early 2028. The Commission said both goals depend on sustained reforms.
The Commission also proposed a common framework for integrating candidates into sectors including energy, transport, digital and defense before membership, with related dialogues to begin over the next six months.
Flags of European Union (EU) and Ukraine are seen at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Feb. 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhao Dingzhe)
