(Yicai Global) March 12 -- The first group of companies to take part in the third China International Import Expo, including BMW, Roche and UPS, was announced today. Despite the disruption caused by the novel coronavirus epidemic, organizers released the list over a month earlier than for previous exhibitions.

Some 143 global companies will take part in the import-oriented, national-level exhibition to be held in Shanghai in November. Fifty are Fortune Global 500 firms, ranking among the world's 500 largest, and took part in the first and second CIIEs. Together they will occupy an exhibition floor space of over 100,000 square meters.

The first CIIE was held in Shanghai in November 2018. Last year, the six-day event attracted over 3,800 exhibitors and more than 500,000 buyers from home and abroad. It closed with USD71.1 billion worth of tentative deals, 23 percent more than the first exhibition.

The first list of participants in the third CIIE will be sent without delay to delegations across China to help exhibitors and buyers wrap up their preliminary discussions and prepare for the event, an executive from the CIIE Bureau said at a press conference today.

By releasing the list ahead of time, it will give firms more time to explore new business and sales channels as well as engage with more partners so as to make the most of the CIIE platform, said Yao Guoliang, general manager at Swiss healthcare firm Roche Diagnostics' China division.

Participants include US parcel delivery and supply chain management firm UPS in the services trade section, German carmaker BMW in the automobile area, Japanese electronics producer Panasonic in the equipment section, French cosmetics giant L'Oreal in the consumer goods section, Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding in the medical equipment and healthcare products section as well as French food titan Danone in the food and agricultural products area.

Editor: Kim Taylor