A new batch of 20 exhibitors signed up for the 6th China International Import Expo on Monday, bringing the total number of exhibitors signing up for the annual event this year to more than 300, said the event organizer.

Nestle, Golden Wing Mau Asia, Treasury Wine Estates, Toyota Motor, Michelin, Johnson Controls, Siemens, Cainiao Albatross, Sanofi, Takeda, and doTERRA were among the latest exhibitors to sign up for the expo, which is scheduled to take place at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) from Nov 5 to 10.

Preparatory work for the annual event, the first import-themed expo at a national level launched in 2018, is taking place smoothly, said Sun Chenghai, deputy director of the China International Import Expo Bureau, during a news conference on Monday.

Just like previous editions, this year's event will again comprise the national exhibition and the enterprise business exhibition, the Hongqiao International Economic Forum, professional supporting activities and cultural exchange activities, said Sun.

The national exhibition, which was held online during the last two editions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be a physical one this year, he added.

"We will invite willing countries to participate in the exhibition, set up the 'country of honor' to display the comprehensive image of a country and gather high-quality resources to carry out trade negotiations and cooperation," Sun said.

The enterprise exhibition will again have six major exhibition areas along with some special areas, Sun added.

Also released at the news conference was the "Report on the Communication Influence of the Fifth China International Import Expo", which stated that the exposure of the annual expo has been on the rise over the past five years.

According to the report, Bayer, Nissan Motor, Qualcomm, Panasonic and KPMG topped the communication popularity list of their respective exhibition area during the fifth CIIE, while Shanghai Trading Group attracted the most media attention among major trading groups.

Supporting activities such as the 5th CIIE trade and investment matchmaking sessions were also widely reported on, and the exhibition of China time-honored brands topped the popularity list for people-to-people and cultural exchange projects at last year's expo.