BEIJING - Over 300 firms have applied to attend the third China International Import Expo (CIIE), the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Thursday.

Their registered exhibit space totaled over 100,000 square meters, MOC spokesperson Gao Feng told a press conference.

The CIIE is the first dedicated import exhibition in the world and has seen fruitful outcomes in the past two expos.

China will continue to open up its market and welcome more high-quality overseas products and services to enter the Chinese market, Gao said.

Several innovative demonstration zones for facilitating imports will be developed, Gao added.

The ministry will also further improve trade facilitation and promote the full implementation of the World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement, Gao said.