Shanghai is preparing for the 100-day countdown to the China International Import Expo. Local importers as well as foreign exporters are signing up as exhibitors. Mi Jiayi reports.

The China International Import Expo is scheduled for November 5 to 10 in Shanghai, and this Friday begins the 100-day countdown. So far, more than 1,000 local companies have said they are interested in going shopping at the CIIE, and they've got a combined budget of 4 billion yuan. The shopping appetite from local companies is strong, and international companies are also lining up, keen on getting into the Chinese market. Mt Fuji Springs is a Japanese company that sells mountain spring and water dispensers, and is one of the latest batch of foreign companies to sign up.

DAIJIRO AWAI, DIRECTOR SALES DIVISION, MT. FUJI SPRINGS "Many Chinese households have water dispensers, but they don't know much about healthier and safer dispensers. We hope to enter the Chinese market with our high-end dispensers, and we plan to make the Chinese sales account for 10 - 20 percent of our total sales. We are cooperating with Chinese companies not only to bring products but also to promote our lifestyle."

Mt Fuji Springs has signed an MOU with local service provider Orient International, one of the government-tasked service providers to help importers with their preparations for the expo. Some foreign companies are even looking at a long-term presence in China.

WANG XINGDE, PRESIDENT ORIENT INTERNATIONAL "We're signing MOUs today with companies attending the import expo. We provide them with all kinds of services, including information about sales channels in China, logistics services, and travel and accommodation services. Also, some companies have already booked a booth for the expo next year."

Wang says that apart from the six-day expo, Orient International has been also providing exhibitors with online platforms to showcase their products. These platforms will serve as a bridge between local purchasing companies and international sellers for the coming year. So far, Orient International has received more than 7,000 local companies' applications to register on the platform. Mi Jiayi, ICS for CGTN, Shanghai.