BEIJING: The Pakistan Pavilion will be established online at the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) scheduled to be held offline and online in Shanghai from November 5 to 10 this year.

Pakistan Ambassador to China, Moinul Haque, will lead the Pakistani delegation at the opening ceremony of the Expo. A number of Pakistani exhibitors, who are already in China, have geared up their preparations to participate in the upcoming expo. They will set up stalls to showcase popular household gadgets from Pakistan to the Chinese market, Pakistan Counsel General, Shanghai, Hussain Haider told APP.

This year, the traders and businessmen from Pakistan are not coming to China owing to travelling restrictions and quarantine in wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, he added. A few Pakistani enterprises specialising in jewellery design, furniture and artistic handicrafts will attend this year's expo. Among all the exhibits, stunning gems and jewellery from Pakistan is likely to become a big hit with the Chinese buyers.

More than 200 exhibitors and over 500 purchasers will be participating in the expo this year. As the first dedicated import exhibition globally, the CIIE has yielded fruitful outcomes from the past three expos.

Shu Jueting, spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce, said the exhibition area exceeded 360,000 square meters, and the number of signed exhibitors exceeded that of the previous year, adding that over 80 percent of the Fortune 500 and industry-leading companies from last year's CIIE will participate again in this year's event.

According to customs, more than 200 batches of exhibits are expected to enter the country by sea, air and rail in the coming month. Gu Honghui, deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai municipal government, said efforts will be made to ensure the COVID-19 prevention and control is more precise, urban service more refined, and the spillover effect of the CIIE brand more prominent during the expo.