（Photo credit: VCG）

East China's Zhejiang province is busy making preparations for the second China International Import Expo (CIIE) which will run in Shanghai on Nov 5-10.

According to a recent news conference organized by the Department of Commerce of Zhejiang, more than 1,300 companies involving over 4,000 people in the province have applied for the participation so far, ranking it as one of the most highly involved domestic provinces.

At the start of July, the provincial commerce department established 14 delegation groups of purchasers, including a special one for its city of Ningbo and 12 subgroups for other cities and companies.

Meanwhile, Zhejiang plans to invite 17 overseas companies to attend the national expo. A matchmaking meeting for Chinese and German industries, a highlight of Zhejiang's participation in the event, is expected to take place on the sidelines of the second CIIE. It is estimated that 80 German companies will take part.

Chen Zhicheng, an official from the commerce department, said the government is encouraging local business agencies to talk with companies specializing in foreign investment, and work to build platforms for importers and purchasers, hoping to share more benefits at this year's expo.

Zhejiang was one of the country's biggest purchasers at the first edition of the expo last November with a turnover of over $10 billion.

Organizers said it showed strong purchasing power in intelligent and high-end equipment, medical consumables, and medical apparatus and instruments. The e-commerce platforms from the East China province brought excellent results during the first expo, they added.

(Executive Editor: Yijun CHEN)