SHANGHAI - Shanghai is busy preparing for the China International Import Expo (CIIE), which will be held in the city in November.

Shang Yuying, head of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, said the CIIE, co-hosted by the Ministry of Commerce and the municipal government of Shanghai, was a significant move by the government to promote trade liberalization and economic globalization, as well as the country's further opening up to the world.

Shanghai's leading companies are taking actions to build service platforms for the expo.

Orient International Co Ltd, a leading trading enterprise in China, recently opened an office to assist foreign businesses interested in the CIIE, with a one-stop service for customs declaration, transport and exhibiting.

Shanghai East Best & Lansheng group is constructing a one-stop exhibition service platforms, for both online and off-line.

Last week, the company opened a health-related commodities exhibition center inside the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) where the expo will be held, as well as an online platform providing services including trade agents and individualized exhibitions.

The CIIE will be held in Shanghai from Nov 5 to 10. It is expected that thousands of enterprises from more than 100 countries will attend the event, bringing up to a million commodities and services to the Chinese market.