Visitors gather outside the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), venue of the China International Import Expo. [Photo/IC]

The 8th China International Import Expo is underway in Shanghai from Nov 5 to 10, with enterprises and institutions from Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province, showing strong participation.

A total of 1,130 companies and organizations from the city registered for the event, sending 3,054 buyers and reporting an estimated $200 million in intended purchases. Their procurement interests span food and agricultural products, new energy vehicles, and advanced equipment.

This year's expo has drawn 4,108 overseas exhibitors from 155 countries, regions, and international organizations, covering an exhibition area of more than 430,000 square meters — both record highs.

As a consistent participant in all eight sessions of the CIIE, Taizhou has achieved a cumulative procurement value exceeding $1.7 billion. The city has leveraged the event to shift from merely purchasing goods to establishing deeper international cooperation, injecting new momentum into its dynamic private sector and contributing to China's high-level opening-up.

Among the participants, Zhejiang Xila from Linhai, is attending the expo for the sixth time and plans to import 6 million yuan ($842,447.74) worth of Syrian olive oil. In addition to procurement, four Taizhou time-honored brands showcased traditional crafts such as embroidery, straw weaving, lantern making, and red yeast rice wine brewing at the Vibrant Zhejiang pavilion, sharing the city's cultural vitality with a global audience.