The 2016 IEBE International E-business Expo and Internet Plus Technology Innovation Application Exhibition commences at the National Exhibition Center at the Shanghai Hongqiao Central Business District (CBD) on Aug 24. [Photo/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2016 IEBE International E-business Expo and Internet Plus Technology Innovation Application Exhibition took place at the National Exhibition Center in Shanghai Hongqiao Central Business District (CBD) on Aug 24, running for three days.

The inauguration ceremony was held at "Luxury Living", one of the hottest spots on the Bund, and attracted groups of influential entrepreneurs from East China, officials from the Shanghai government and plenty of exhibiting companies.

To implement the country's Belt and Road Initiative, various e-business service providers alongside the "Silk Road Economic Belt" and "Maritime Silk Road" were invited to the expo. The firms offer opportunities and convenience for Chinese manufacturing enterprises to open up to overseas markets, boosting connectivity and cooperation between both sides.

Fei Xiaomei, deputy director of Hongqiao CBD Management Committee, addressed the expo, giving a warm welcome to representatives of e-business enterprises from different parts of the world. She spoke briefly about the advantages of Hongqiao CBD as a business hub. With the settlement of an increasing number of industry leaders including Alibaba, Vipshop and LeEco, Hongqiao CBD is on its way growing into a modern service industry cluster platform. Businesses in the area now cover areas such as Internet, financing, trade, exhibition, innovation and entrepreneurship, Fei said.

The IEBE International E-business Expo, which has been held for the past two years, is aimed at providing an exchange platform to facilitate cooperation between traditional and e-commerce enterprises. The event helps traditional firms find e-commerce partners with which to expand their businesses into new markets.