People visit the exhibition area of the 2020 China International Fair for Investment and Trade in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province. [Photo/xmnn.cn]

The 2020 China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) wrapped up in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province on Sept 11, with its online edition continuing to provide services for global businessmen.

According to organizers, the four-day fair attracted 1,018 trading groups, including 248 overseas enterprises from 69 countries and regions. Over 2,300 deals worth more than 800 billion yuan ($117 billion) were signed during the fair.

This year, the CIFIT launched its online fair during the four-day event as part of efforts to promote global trade in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The fair had an exhibition area of about 110,000 square meters and 16 specialized zones for investment and business promotions. During the four-day event, its themed exhibitions offered a wide range of choices for global investors.

A total of 32 provinces, cities and Chinese development zone associations, as well as 42 countries and regions, took part in the offline exhibition.

The exhibition area for Fujian, the province hosting this year's CIFIT, covered 6,500 square meters and shared business opportunities from the province's nine cities and the Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone.

A series of parallel forums focusing on topics including global investment, new economy and the industrial internet of things were held during the fair. International business figures and experts were invited to share their opinions on the recovery and development of the global economy.

The online edition of the CIFIT will continue to provide services as an international business matchmaking platform after the event.

Sponsored by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, the virtual platform of the CIFIT offers people in over 40 countries and regions services such as exhibitions, project matchmaking, investment negotiations, forums and symposiums, and contract signing.

Given the current circumstances, the online platform is an innovative way of promoting international investment while playing a role in attracting more businesses, according to organizers.

A total of 37 provinces, cities and autonomous regions from China and 38 countries and regions are displaying exhibitions and promotion projects for businesspeople on the online platform. Over 16,000 business projects were published for investment during the four-day event.

The online platform will continue to help worldwide business insiders interact, discover new investment projects and opportunities, and connect online.