An aerial drone photo shows this year's first "Jinbo" China-Europe freight train pulling in the Minhang Station in Shanghai, east China, Oct. 20, 2024. Photo: Xinhua

The number of exhibitors for the upcoming 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE) hit a record high, an official said on Wednesday, highlighting China's continuous efforts in promoting high-level opening-up.

The 7th CIIE is scheduled to take place in Shanghai from November 5 to 10. A total of 3,496 exhibitors from 129 countries and regions have confirmed their participation, exceeding the previous session, Tang Wenhong, an assistant minister of commerce, told a press conference.

The event will see a new record with 297 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders set to attend, among which 186 enterprises and international organizations will have attended all seven sessions.

The CIIE serves to showcase China's major opening-up measures and confidence, share China's new development opportunities with other countries, and help improve global economic governance rules and promote the building of an open world economy, Tang said.

For the first time, the 7th CIIE will set up a new special section for new materials, serving as a premier platform for showcasing new products, trends and innovations in the new materials industry. 

"We hope to comprehensively show our extensive business and global strength via the CIIE," Eric Chung, CEO of Nippon Paint China, told the Global Times. "We will continue to increase investment in China and firmly believe that investing in China is investing in the future," he added. 

Nippon Paint, which attends the CIIE as an exhibitor for the first time, will debut a number of new products at the event, mainly focusing on smart road construction and urban air purification. 

Since its first edition in 2018, this expo has become an important stage spotlighting China's new development paradigm, a platform for high-level opening-up and a public good for the whole world.

Tang said that during the past six CIIEs, companies have unveiled nearly 2,500 new products, technologies and services, with a cumulative intended transaction volume of $420 billion, and more than 1,130 foreign-invested enterprises and investment promotion agencies have been organized to further tap into business opportunities.

"For us, it's a fantastic opportunity and it's the only event like this in the world where L'Oréal is so involved, where we introduce new brands, innovations and new technologies," Nicolas Hieronimus, CEO of L'Oréal Group, told the Global Times.

L'Oréal Group will attend the event for the seventh time. The company said that attending the event "is both a testimonial of our belief in China or the fact that we want to continue to invest in China."

This year, the 7th CIIE will continue to provide an important opportunity for other countries to showcase their images as well as trade and investment opportunities. The event will have 37 least-developed countries participating, providing more than 120 free booths to companies from these countries.