The third Global Digital Trade Expo holds a roadshow to attract participants in Shanghai on March 11. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The third Global Digital Trade Expo, China's only national-level international exhibition themed on digital trade, is set to open from Sept 25 to 29 in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province. Over 50 industrial leaders have confirmed their participation in the expo this year, organizers said on Monday during a roadshow held in Shanghai.

Hosted by the Ministry of Commerce and Zhejiang Municipal People's Government, the expo was launched in 2022 and has seen remarkable results over the past two editions.

Last year, the second edition of the expo has seen extensive participation onsite, including 68 international organizations and business associations, over 100 international purchasing groups, more than 50 global Fortune 500 companies, as well as over 50 top companies in the digital trade sector. They inked deals on 32 projects with a total value of over 130 billion yuan ($18 billion), according to the organizers.

With an expected exhibition area of over 150,000 square meters, the expo this year will consist of one integrated pavilion and eight featured pavilions. It will spotlight various sectors of digital trade, including fintech, Silk Road e-commerce, smart mobility, digital healthcare, smart city, consumer electronics, digital cultural entertainment and artificial intelligence.

In addition to exhibitions, the expo will also feature diverse events such as competitions, match-making events, campaigns, visiting tours and an award ceremony.

"Today marks the 200-day countdown to the opening of the third Global Digital Trade Expo. We will further explore industrial emerging trends, actively introduce the latest technologies, promote business match-making, enhance international cooperation and inject fresh impetus to building an open world economy," said Sun Xudong, Hangzhou's deputy mayor.

According to the organizers, the expo this year will deepen international cooperation. For the first time, it will establish strategic cooperation with eight globally renowned exhibitions, including the Smart City Expo World Congress in Spain. Also, it will make more efforts to involve more official releases of reports and rules, as well as more interactive displays.

The expo also unveiled the first batch of 50 confirmed exhibitors this year during the roadshow. Some big names include Alibaba, Amazon, AstraZeneca, iFlytek, Shein, Tesla, Terumo and SenseTime.

SenseTime has been participating in the expo since its first edition. Yang Chun, general manager of the company's Zhejiang branch, said: "We have seen fruitful results over the past two editions of the expo. Not only have we seen more and better exhibitors, we particularly appreciated the expo's forum sessions, which are consistently improving in quality and offering us a premier platform to communicate and interact with global leaders in digital trade."

As a tech giant based in Hangzhou, Alibaba is also looking forward to showcasing their latest offerings at the gala.

"We see digital trade as a global trend. Unlike traditional trade, digital trade is more driven by technology as its core. My biggest expectation of the expo this year will be in the AI sector, especially in updates on the application of AI technologies in digital trade," said Pan Xinchun, vice president of public affairs at Alibaba.