More than 500 enterprises have signed up for the 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE) scheduled to take place from Nov 5 to 10 in Shanghai, expo organizers said on Friday.

Over 200,000 square meters of exhibition area have been booked for this year's expo, which will be staged at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), said Sun Chenghai, deputy director-general of the China International Import Expo Bureau, at a reception hosted by the expo organizer for the 2023 Spring Festival.

A list of the first 206 exhibitors was also released at the reception, which was attended by representatives of exhibitors, purchasers and other cooperation partners.

As with previous stagings, this year's event will comprise the national exhibition and the enterprise business exhibition, the Hongqiao International Economic Forum, professional supporting activities and cultural exchange activities, according to Sun.

The national exhibition, which has been held online for the last two expos because of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be held fully offline and will open to the public on a limited basis, Sun added.

As in the previous years, six major sections will be set up in the business exhibition, including food and agricultural products, automobiles, intelligent industry and information technology, consumer goods, medical equipment and healthcare products, and trade in services.

According to Liu Fuxue, another deputy director-general of the CIIE Bureau, the 6th CIIE aims to provide more opportunities for companies to communicate face-to-face, and step up efforts to carry out roadshows at home and abroad.

"We will provide an enhanced service guarantee and boost convenience for exhibitors," Liu said.

Zheng Zheng contributed to this story.