A total of 337 companies from Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province have signed up for the fourth China International Import Expo, which will be held in Shanghai from Nov 5 to 10, local authorities said on Nov 1.

In addition, over 2,000 people from the city have also registered for the event as professional visitors, according to Wang Ming, an official from the Huzhou municipal bureau of commerce.

During the expo, Huzhou companies are expected to ink intended deals worth more than $330 million with the exhibitors.

This will be the fourth consecutive time Zhejiang Jiuli Hi-tech Metals Co Ltd is attending the CIIE. The Huzhou-based company specializes in the R&D, production and sales of stainless steel and special alloy pipes.

Shen Xiaogang, general manager of the sales department of Zhejiang Jiuli Hi-tech Metals Co Ltd, said the company hopes to learn more about the digitalization process of high-end smart manufacturing from the expo.

Huzhou will also stage cultural performances including Changxing baiyelong dance and showcase local intangible cultural heritage such as the crafting of the Huzhou writing brush and Changxing potteries on the sideline of the expo. Baiyelong, which literally means "a dragon made of a hundred lotus leaves", was inspired by a local legend about a dragon born in a lotus pond.

To date, nearly 3,000 enterprises from 127 countries and regions have confirmed their participation in the CIIE.