BEIJING -- A total of 247 foreign-invested companies in Shanghai were included in the first batch of 666 companies on the city's "white list" designed to support firms to resume production amid COVID-19 control, an official said Thursday.

The companies are mainly in key sectors including integrated circuits, automobile manufacturing, equipment manufacturing and biomedicine, said Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Gao Feng at a press conference.

While some key foreign companies such as US carmaker Tesla have already been restoring production in an orderly manner, many foreign firms have applied to join the second batch of "white list" companies to resume production, Gao said.

China has established a "white list" approach to support the resumption of work for key companies and minimize the impact of COVID-19 on the supply chain.