A total of 1,158 companies and 2,937 people from Jinan, capital of East China's Shandong province, attended the second China International Import Expo (CIIE), which was held in Shanghai from Nov 5 to 10.

According to official statistics, the city inked a total of 162 deals at the world's largest import exposition, more than any other cities in Shandong province.

During the expo, the city hosted a series of business exchange activities, such as a signing conference and visits to multinational company headquarters in Shanghai.

Wang Zhonglin, Party secretary of Jinan, highlighted the city's newly-added free trade area and its opening-up policies at the Shandong promotional conference.

The city's Qilu Pharmaceutical Group signed contracts with 17 foreign exhibitors, reaching a record high in terms of total contract value.

The Jinan delegation also visited several companies including Shanghai Gold Exchange, Greenland Group and Royal DSM, aiming to strengthen ties.

The 2019 CIIE attracted more than 3,000 companies from nearly 150 countries and regions seeking trade cooperation opportunities, a significant increase from last year.

This year's expo concluded with $71.13 billion in deals signed, 23 percent higher than last year.