Preparations for the third China International Import Expo (CIIE), scheduled to be held in Shanghai on Nov 5-10, is underway, said Wang Bingnan, vice-minister of commerce, at a news conference on Monday.

"As the COVID-19 epidemic has impacted the global economy and trade, we are holding the third CIIE to increase imports, and open up the Chinese market." This fully demonstrates China is a responsible major country. The expo will be critical to rapid economic recovery around the world and building up an open world economy, he added.