China's Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan attends a press conference on China's domestic market and all-round opening-up for the second session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 9, 2019. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan)

BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The second China International Import Expo (CIIE) will feature larger exhibition area and be attended by more countries and enterprises, Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan said Saturday.

The booth area will expand to a planned 330,000 square meters, Zhong told a news conference on the sidelines of the annual legislative session. The first CIIE had an exhibition area of 300,000 square meters.

The exhibition will also showcase more new products, technologies and services, he said, adding that booths in sectors like health care have already been fully booked.

The second CIIE will also offer more business opportunities and see more deals reached, Zhong said.

The second Hongqiao International Economic and Trade Forum will be held during the CIIE, the minister said.

A total of 172 countries, regions and international organizations and more than 3,600 enterprises participated in the first CIIE, held on Nov. 5-10 in Shanghai. It was the world's first import-themed national-level expo.

Deals for intended one-year purchases of goods and services worth a total of 57.83 billion U.S. dollars were reached at the first CIIE.