(Yicai) July 28 -- More than 1,200 companies from 99 countries and regions have already signed up to participate in the ninth China International Import Expo, which opens in just under 100 days, reaching the figure faster than last year's edition, according to a relevant official.

The contracted exhibition area has topped 340,000 square meters, or 95 percent of the target, Wu Zhengping, deputy director of the CIIE Bureau, said at the press conference for the 100-day countdown to the start of the expo held yesterday. The event will integrate the "Export to China," "Shopping in China," and "Invest in China" brands to expand trade networks, hike imports, and promote balanced trade development, Wu added.

Developed economies remain the main source of participants at the CIIE, with US companies having contracted the largest area, while French, British, and New Zealand firms have exceeded last year's figures, Wu pointed out. The upcoming event will also upgrade the exhibition zone for Asian and African products to help exhibitors from African countries that have diplomatic relations with China seize the "zero tariff" opportunity for exporting to the country, Wu added.

French pharmaceutical firm Pierre Fabre, Singapore's Perennial Holdings, which set up the first wholly foreign tertiary general hospital in China, Dutch chemical giant AkzoNobel, US fashion giant Ralph Lauren, world-leading steel manufacturers ArcelorMittal, and well-known Belgian chocolate producer Godiva, will participate in the CIIE for the first time. Some 169 companies and 30 overseas exhibition organizers return after taking part every year.

In addition to the six permanent exhibition areas of technical equipment, medical devices and healthcare, consumer goods, food and agricultural products, autos and smart mobility, and service trade, as well as the cross-exhibition innovation incubation zone, this year's CIIE will also feature a new global national brand exhibition area that gathers "national brands" from multiple countries and excellent goods worldwide.

Fifty-seven countries and three international organizations have confirmed their participation at the CIIE, with Moldova, Romania, and the United Nations Development Program participating for the first time. Canada has been invited as the guest of honor for the second time.

The CIIE has turned into an important platform for international giants to release new products. France's Sanofi will make the global debut of a new drug independently developed by its Chinese team this year, while Boston Scientific will show more than 80 cutting-edge minimally invasive intervention products.

L'Oreal, which has taken part in every CIIE, has made debuting products at the expo an essential strategy, unveiling more than 10 new brands and dozens of new beauty tech products in China in previous years.

More and more foreign companies are transitioning from exhibiting products at the CIIE to staying in China, turning from exhibitors to investors.

The CIIE is an important window for China to promote high-level opening up, said Anna An, the country president of German chemical and consumer goods firm Henkel. It also builds a bridge for foreign companies to participate in China's high-quality development and share market opportunities, she noted.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev