SHANGHAI — Despite the COVID-19 pandemic raging globally, the third China International Import Expo (CIIE) has sealed higher deals than the previous event, official data showed on Nov 10.

The third CIIE, which concluded in Shanghai on Oct 10, saw deals reached for intended one-year purchases of goods and services totaling $72.62 billion, up 2.1 percent from the last expo, Sun Chenghai, deputy director of the CIIE Bureau, told a press conference.

This follows $57.83 billion of intended deals inked at the inaugural expo in 2018, and $71.13 billion worth of tentative deals at the second expo last year.

Though restrictions were in place due to virus containment, this year's CIIE had an exhibition area of 360,000 square meters, almost 30,000 square meters larger than last year's event. Nearly 400,000 visitors from across the world signed up for the event, Sun said.

Nearly 80 percent of the world's top 500 companies and industry leaders that participated in previous expos returned to Shanghai this year, he added, noting that up to 411 new products, technologies and services were launched at the 3rd CIIE.