SHANGHAI, June 7 -- More than 1,000 enterprises, including nearly 260 Fortune 500 companies and industry leaders, have signed up for the 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE), the CIIE Bureau said on Friday.

An exhibition area of 325,000 square meters has been booked for the expo, according to the bureau.

This year, the expo's technology and equipment exhibition area will, for the first time, feature a new materials sector, creating an international platform for sharing innovative resources in the new materials industry.

Over the past six years, the CIIE has attracted more than 10,000 overseas enterprises to participate and release more than 2,400 new products, technologies and services.

It has promoted cooperation, the sharing of sci-tech achievements, and the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial development.

The 7th CIIE is scheduled to be held in Shanghai in November. The 6th CIIE saw a total of 78.41 billion U.S. dollars worth of tentative deals reached for one-year purchases of goods and services, setting a record high.