SHANGHAI - As China welcomes the international business community to attend the China International Import Expo (CIIE), nearly 120 Australian companies will participate with more than 150 brands.

The figure was released by Brent Moore, trade commissioner of the Australian Trade and Investment Commission, who has been working on Australian participation in the CIIE for more than six months.

Moore told Xinhua that the expo would be an important event with an enormous scale, in terms of both the number of participants from around the world and China.

Australian companies joining the CIIE can benefit from it whether they are already in the Chinese market or are newcomers. For the former, participation in the CIIE sends a clear signal of a long-term commitment to the Chinese market, and for the latter, the expo is a great platform to gain attention, according to Moore.

He said food and agriculture, consumer goods, medical and health products, technology, tourism and education services were key areas where Australia is globally recognized.

"Most of the 150 brands are from the food and agricultural sector, enabling Australia to have the largest presence in the food and agricultural section of the expo," he said.

Meanwhile, education services will be an important part of the Australian business delegation. Australia will also showcase some of the latest research and development stemming from Australian universities.

He expects fresh and healthy food as well as products with more advanced technology and capability to shine at this year's expo.

The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA), which came into force in 2015, has made a real difference for both Chinese and Australian firms, expanding and diversifying bilateral trade and investment.

China is Australia's largest trading partner and largest source of tourists. Moore said that thanks to ChAFTA, most Australian products exhibited at the CIIE would be free from tariffs in 2019.

"The scale and timing of the CIIE is ideal, allowing us to further highlight and unlock the potential commercial opportunities that China's growth provides," Moore said. "My expectations for the CIIE are very high. On the commercial side, great business exchanges will take place."

The CIIE, which is to be held from Nov 5-10 in Shanghai, is the first ever Chinese fair focusing exclusively on imported foreign goods and services. More than 2,800 companies from over 130 countries and regions have confirmed participation in the event.