Shanghai is getting ready for the first import expo

As for the business exhibition, it consists of trade in goods and services, featuring broad geography, huge presence of quality companies, new products and technologies, and high-level presentations, according to Wang.

“With 91 percent of the booths specially decorated, the business exhibition has seven sections with multiple highlights,” Wang said.

The seven sections are high-end intelligent equipment, automobile, consumer electronics and appliances, apparel, accessories and consumer goods, food and agricultural products, medical equipment and health care products, and trade in services.

Also, about 200 diverse and distinctive events will be held on the sidelines of the CIIE to promote business and boost its impact, Wang said.

The events cover six categories, which are the events held by participating countries, forums, press releases, business match-making, luncheons and dinners and receptions, and shows.

In the meantime, Shanghai has got all aspects of urban services ready by now after nearly one-year intense preparation, said Zhou Bo, executive vice mayor of Shanghai.

Shanghai will step up efforts to implement security measures such as conducting safety inspection on public transport routes, while restricting dangerous goods and smaller aircraft, in order to ensure a safe CIIE, Zhou said.

Also, the city has upgraded the National Exhibition and Convention Center, where the CIIE is held, and surrounding roads, and has remarked traffic sign lines which cover an area of 110,000 square meters around the halls, and set up 674 new signs.

“The city is running traffic security measures to address large passenger flows,” Zhou said. “We have also launched a navigation app for public transport and CIIE, in order to realize faster entry and exit of vehicles and people,” Zhou said.

To help equip the expo with qualified service providers, more than 540 training sessions have been held for 240,000 staff members in over 40 key areas such as airports, railway stations, and hotels within the city.

The city has recruited 5,438 exhibition volunteers, set up 315 urban volunteer service stations and about 250 volunteer service teams through cooperation with adjacent municipalities in the Yangtze River Delta region, and they have been providing volunteer services wearing uniforms since October 23.

“We have carried out three comprehensive urban security drills and more than 240 special drills since September, with an aim to discover problems and make improvements in a timely manner,” Zhou said.