The registration center for the China International Import Expo opens on Oct 23. [Photo by Xing Yi/chinadaily.com.cn]

More than 14,000 companies based in Zhejiang – the province in East China -- have signed up to attend the third China International Import Expo, to be held in Shanghai on Nov 5-10.

The Zhejiang Provincial Department of Commerce and the CIIE Bureau have co-hosted roadshows in the cities of Ningbo, Hangzhou, Taizhou and Yiwu to attract buyers to this year's fair.

Zhejiang authorities have also organized for many of its businesses to attend business matchmaking events in Shanghai.

The Zhejiang-based participants at the expo cover the areas of services, automobiles, intelligent industry and information technology, consumer goods, medical equipment and healthcare products, as well as food and agricultural products.

As many as 4,230 Zhejiang-based participants are engaged in trade and services at the 3rd CIIE, 73.8 percent more than at the 2nd CIIE.

According to an official from the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Commerce, the Zhejiang trade mission to the 3rd CIIE aims to buy $10 billion in imports and to attract $10 billion in foreign investments.