Shanghai preparing for intl import expo in November

As the host city of the second China International Import Exposition, Shanghai has identified 120 specific items for improvement in light of its experience at the first session held last November, Xu Kunlin, deputy director of the exposition's Organizing Committee office and vice-mayor of Shanghai said at a press conference on Friday.

Saturday marks the 100-day countdown to the second CIIE.

"We have listened to feedback from all stakeholders, based on which we've identified the 120 items that we are set to improve to serve as a better host for the CIIE," Xu said.

Efforts have been made in many aspects, such as streamlining registration and certification procedures, and improving real-time feedback on inquiries. Admission card categories have been slashed from 17 at the first exposition to 5 at the second.

At the same time, the city is working on the expansion of the No 1 and No 2 pavilions of the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Shanghai), the expo venue, to create an extra 60,000 square meters of exhibition area required by the the second exposition, Xu added.

The project is expected to be complete by the end of September.

More than 3,000 foreign companies from 150 countries and regions have confirmed they will participate in the expo, which is Nov 5-10, according to the exposition's bureau.

Chen Yiqun contributed to this story.