(Yicai) Nov. 10 -- The sixth China International Import Expo has closed with USD78.4 billion worth of tentative deals, a jump of 6.7 percent from last year’s event and a new record, Sun Chenghai, deputy director of the CIIE Bureau, said today.

As many as 3,486 firms from 128 countries and regions around the world displayed their goods in the trade fair’s business and commercial exhibition, the most of all the CIIEs so far, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce. This included 289 industry leaders and Fortune 500 companies. In total, 442 new products, technologies and services went on show.

The innovation incubation zones, which give overseas startups the chance to showcase their innovation, were crammed with over 300 projects from 39 countries and regions, more than the sum in the two years since they were first introduced, the ministry said.

The sixth Hongqiao International Economic Forum, which was held in parallel to the CIIE, attracted over 8,000 attendees, the most ever. Some 345 political, business and academic special guests gave speeches, including six winners of the Nobel Prize and A.M. Turing Award and 118 executives from leading businesses and Fortune 500 companies.

Preparations for next year’s CIIE are already underway and 200 companies with an exhibition area of more than 100,000 square meters have already signed up, the ministry said.

Editor: Kim Taylor