The third China International Import Expo has come to a close, with deals signed this year surpassing 720 billion US dollars. That's about two-percent higher than the figure last year. CGTN's Li Jianhua has more.

The third international import expo ended with a great number of deals signed. This year, they are worth more than last time round, despite fewer visitors due to the pandemic.

SUN CHENGHAI Sun Chenghai Deputy Director, China International Import Expo Bureau "The third CIIE was held despite the imposition of regular health measures against the coronavirus. This year's event, held both online and in the pavilions, is the largest international economic and commercial event, gathering the highest number of countries' participants. This demonstrates China's achievements in containing the pandemic and its socio-economic development."

The section featuring medical equipment and products has drawn a lot of attention. China's Sinopharm inked a deal with American medical devices and healthcare company Abbott, bringing new devices to China, which help to check glucose levels for diabetes patients without blood sampling.

SHAWN XIANG General Manager, Abbott Diabetes Care Greater China and Emerging Asia Region "We are proud to present this technology to the Chinese market. And more importantly, we are taking advantage of [the] CIIE platform to accelerate the introduction of our portfolio – you know, more products in our portfolio – so that we can help more Chinese patients."

SHI SHENGYI Chairman of Sinopharm International "Each time at the CIIE, Sinopharm managed to sign deals. For each session, we were able to find advanced methods and ways of treating various diseases, which we would introduce immediately through Sinopharm's strong networks and production capacity. The aim is to import the most advanced medical products and benefit the public."

Japanese companies have had the largest number of participants. Nearly all exhibitors have brought in live-streaming technologies to boost sales online.

NAOKO HASE Head of Corporate Strategy Division, SHISEIDO China "This year, because of the pandemic, actually the traffic is not so much. Through livestreaming, and famous KOLs all came here. So, through livestreaming, we can express and deliver our products to China."

Shiseido is among the hundreds of companies that just signed up to partake in next year's CIIE.

LI JIANHUA Shanghai "What's different about this year's import expo is the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The number of visitors to the pavilions has been reduced and strict health measures imposed. Despite headwinds from the coronavirus, the deals inked this year amount to over two-percent higher than the previous sessions', LI JIANHUA, CGTN, SHANGHAI."