BEIJING — More companies will attend the second China International Consumer Products Expo in Haikou, the capital city of the southernmost Hainan province, from July 26 to 30, Shu Jueting, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, said on July 7.

The number of firms attending the expo will be more than last year's figure, with an exhibition area rising to 100,000 square meters from 80,000 square meters, Shu told a regular press conference.

More than 40,000 buyers are expected to attend the expo, Shu said.

The proportion of the exhibition area for overseas enterprises will increase to 80 percent from 75 percent last year.

Firms from Japan, France, and the United States will each have a total exhibition area of around 3,000 square meters. Members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will see their exhibition areas up nearly 20 percent.

Over 100 events will be held on the sidelines of the expo, and a series of reports and indices related to consumption and the building of the Hainan free trade port will be released, Shu added.

"Through hosting consumption promotion activities like the expo, we aim to accelerate the recovery and sustained growth of the domestic consumer market and better leverage the role of consumption in driving economic growth," the spokesperson said.