BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming China International Import Expo (CIIE) continues to attract a large number of global exhibitors with a strong Asian presence, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOC).

As of Wednesday, 26 Asian countries and regions had designated 29 agencies to help their exhibitors, MOC's China International Import Expo Bureau, the CIIE organizer, said in its online statement.

According to the bureau, the total exhibition area booked by these Asian exhibitors reached 26,000 square meters, the size of nearly 62 basketball courts.

Exhibitors that have signed up to attend the CIIE come from countries and regions including Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

The statement attributed the enthusiasm of Asian participants to the sound and steady growth of the Asian economy.

Previous CIIE reports said that more than 1,000 enterprises from over 120 countries and regions have signed up to attend the CIIE, which will be held for the first time in Shanghai in November.

Intelligent and high-end equipment will be a highlight as global enterprises such as Dell, Nokia, GE, and Emerson have signed up to attend and will display their advanced technology and products.

China has promised to boost imports, announcing plans to purchase more than 10 trillion U.S. dollars of goods and services in the next five years.