Exhibitors introduce the engineering vehicles at the booth of Caterpillar at the Equipment exhibition area during the third China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, east China, Nov. 5, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Renzi)

Despite logistical hurdles caused by the pandemic, the third China International Import Expo (CIIE) kicked off in Shanghai on Wednesday, with 674 exhibitors and 1,351 shoppers from 64 countries participating, and 861 cooperation intention deals signed, the expo organizer said on Sunday, a strong evidence of how China's rising market has become a driving force for global businesses.

The announcement came three days following the opening of the expo, where hundreds of new products, technologies and services have been displayed for the first time. The event has seen many companies jump on the train of new opportunities in introducing their latest innovations to the world.

In a press briefing for the CIIE, Kong Fuan, deputy director-general of the CIIE Bureau, said on Sunday that over half of products belong to global debuts. Among the exhibitors from various countries, Japan has the largest number of exhibitors and the US has the largest exhibition area.

The third Expo includes a new product show zone, joined by 42 internationally-renowned exhibitors, and the zone includes six consumer goods exhibition areas, 10 medical exhibition areas, 6 service and trade exhibition areas, 11 equipment exhibition areas and 9 food exhibition areas, according to Kong. To cater all the visitors, 165,000 meals are served during the lunch peak period and 205,000 meals are served throughout the day.

Enterprises from all over the world are actively participating in the exhibition. To overcome the impact of the pandemic, some exhibitors attended the expo only after they had been quarantined for several days.

At the same time, countries including Italy, Portugal, Pakistan, Fiji and Hungary displayed their local customs and investment opportunities online through pictures and videos on the expo's official website, attracting a large number of netizens at home and abroad.

The active participation of global exhibitors in the event shows that companies from all over the world fully recognize the important role of the expo as a platform for growth and their aspiration to tap the Chinese market, noted Kong.

The successful operation of the expo has also been attributed to China's effective virus-prevention measures put in place.

Not only were all participants required to provide valid nucleic acid test reports and sign the health pledge as requested, traffic control has also been carried out during the expo as a wider part of these preventative measures.

As the largest international expo event to take place when the global economy is still overshadowed by the unprecedented crisis, the CIIE has captured the attention of the world media, with more than 3,000 Chinese and foreign journalists signing up for the expo.

News reports and other articles published about the expo have exceeded 1 million in the three days since the event's opening, according to statistics from the organizer.