The first batch of exhibits for the fourth China International Import Expo (CIIE) entered the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), main venue for the event, on the morning of Oct. 23, marking the beginning of the exhibition booth arrangement work for the event.

These exhibits include a bending machine from Japanese company Amada Co., Ltd. as well as a forklift truck and an electric tractor brought by German company Jungheinrich AG.

The bending machine, equipped with an automatic die changing system, saves workers from traditional manual die changing and maximizes production efficiency, said an executive with Amada, adding that this is the first time that the company’s bending machine has been brought to a large-scale and comprehensive expo.

Jungheinrich AG’s forklift truck is mainly used for the manufacturing and storage of extra long tubular products and sectional materials as well as conventional intensive storage, and can increase storage efficiency by as much as 30 percent.

As of Oct. 23, 150 batches of CIIE exhibits had been temporarily imported via the ports of Shanghai, which meant that 98 percent of the exhibits for the fourth CIIE had entered China.

All the exhibition areas of the fourth CIIE will start to build booths and arrange exhibits. Relevant work is expected to be finished around Nov. 2.

The total exhibition area of the fourth CIIE exceeds 360,000 square meters, and the numbers of enterprises as well as countries and regions expected to participate in the event all surpass those of the third CIIE held last year, said Xue Feng, director of the Shanghai Foreign Investment Development Board, adding that Fortune Global 500 and industry-leading companies have actively signed up for the upcoming CIIE, with more than 80 percent of such companies that participated in the CIIE continuing to take part in this year’s expo.

The fourth CIIE mainly comprises country exhibition, enterprise and business exhibition and the fourth Hongqiao International Economic Forum, according to Ma Fengmin, financial director of the CIIE Bureau.

This year’s CIIE will launch an online country exhibition for the first time. By applying 3D modeling, VR engine and other technologies, the online exhibition will enable countries to showcase their development achievements, leading industries, culture and tourism development, as well as representative enterprises via pictures, videos, and 3D models in digital pavilions. About 60 countries have confirmed their participation in the online country exhibition, which was launched on a trial basis on Oct. 13.

The business exhibition of the fourth CIIE, which includes six major exhibition areas, is expected to accommodate nearly 3,000 companies from over 120 countries and regions, many of which will launch their new products, technologies, and services at the event.

The top five grain dealers, 10 automobile manufacturers, 10 electric companies, 10 leading medical equipment providers, and 10 cosmetic brands in the world will all participate in the fourth CIIE.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers of the CIIE contacted enterprises through both offline and online channels, and employed big data to attract companies in a more professional manner.

For the first time, the event has allowed exhibitors and relevant organizations to invite their clients to be professional visitors of the CIIE.

A total of 39 trading groups and nearly 600 sub-groups have been set up for the event. Over 2,700 buyers took part in 18 online and offline roadshow activities of the fourth CIIE, and more than 200 exhibitors have got in touch and concluded deals with over 500 purchasers during pre-expo supply-demand matchmaking conferences.

So far, 310,000 people from 90,000 organizations have registered to participate in the transaction and procurement at the fourth CIIE.

The fourth Hongqiao International Economic Forum will include a main forum and 13 sub-forums, which cover hot topics in frontier fields and industries including health economy, green development, consumption upgrading, digital economy, advanced technologies, agricultural development, intellectual property and finance.

A high-level forum marking the 20th anniversary of China’s accession to the World Trade Organization will also be held as a part of the fourth Hongqiao International Economic Forum.

Guests from home and abroad are expected to attend the forums online or offline, contributing wisdom to promoting world economic recovery and building a community with a shared future for mankind.