People walk past the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, the venue for China's first import expo, which is held from Nov 5 to 10. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

As China welcomes the international business community to attend the China International Import Expo (CIIE), a delegation of nearly 3,000 Hangzhou companies participated with the hope of taking a share of the benefits brought by the international event.

"The CIIE shows China's determination of opening-up and to build the world-leading business environment," said Deng Jian, vice director of Hangzhou Municipal Commission of Commerce.

He believes that Hangzhou enjoys great advantages in CIIE thanks to the city's convenient transportation system, solid economic foundation and developed e-commerce environment.

This is by no means a simple expo, but rather an important development opportunity which is expected to raise the global profile of Hangzhou, he said, adding that the event provides a platform for Hangzhou companies to bolster exchanges and communication with other international counterparts.

Apart from the exhibitors, Hangzhou also offered visitors a range of themed summits and promotional events on different topics, where established e-commerce giants including Alibaba Group, NetEase Kaola and Yunji came together to discuss scientific and technological innovation, cross-border e-commerce and supply chain.

The Hangzhou featured silk and copper carving products are designated as special gifts for the event.

The CIIE, which is to be held from Nov 5 to 10 in Shanghai, is the first ever Chinese fair exclusively focusing on imported foreign goods and services. International companies from over 172 countries and regions across the globe participated the event.