The third China International Import Expo, to be held as scheduled at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) in November, features a larger planned business exhibition space and is set to wow participants with more amazing offerings.

"The third CIIE is slated to be held in Shanghai from Nov 5 to 10, and preparations for the expo are all well underway," said Sun Chenghai, deputy director-general of the CIIE Bureau at a briefing last Friday.

According to Sun, the focus of current preparations for the third CIIE has shifted from attracting exhibitors to drawing in buyers and organizing the expo. Strong progress has been made.

Undamped passion 

The planned business exhibition space for the third CIIE spans 360,000 square meters, 60,000 sq m larger than the planned business exhibition area of last year and up by 20 percent.

The business exhibition area will be divided into six sections displaying food and agricultural products, automobiles, the intelligent industry and information technology, consumer goods, medical equipment and healthcare products, as well as trade in services.

The number of Fortune 500 companies and industry-leading companies attending the third CIIE almost equals that of the first and second edition, the CIIE Bureau said.

A greater number of policies than last year have been released and is expected to attract and better serve exhibitors and buyers. The General Administration of Customs recently launched a slew of supporting policies to facilitate the customs clearance of attendees at the expo.

Improved services for buyers

More targeted measures to attract buyers have been taken. Based on transaction, customs clearance and credit data from the previous expos, organizers identified and sent invitations to 40,000 import companies. Nine roadshows to attract buyers have also been organized.