The Hangzhou International Service Center at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport. [Photo/Tide News]

The fifth Global Digital Trade Expo will be held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, from Sept 23 to 27, with more than 5,000 Chinese and international companies taking part. The expo, China's only national-level international professional exhibition dedicated to digital trade, is expected to attract participants from various countries and regions.

To facilitate entry and participation, Zhejiang's public security and border inspection authorities have introduced six measures covering visa applications, border clearance, multilingual assistance, and on-site services.

International exhibitors and buyers who cannot obtain a Chinese visa before departure may apply for a port visa at the visa authorities in Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou, or Yiwu. International tourists visiting the expo in groups may also apply for group tourist visas through qualified travel agencies in China.

Dedicated entry channels will be opened at airports in Zhejiang, with additional police staff and multilingual service desks offering assistance in English, German, Japanese, Korean, and several other languages.

At international arrival halls in Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou, and Yiwu, international service centers will provide one-stop assistance, including immigration policy consultations, currency exchange, mobile phone cards, and car rentals.

The Zhejiang center of the 12367 immigration service platform will operate a dedicated expo hotline around the clock in Chinese, English, Russian, Japanese, Korean, and French.

On-site service desks will also offer visa extensions and residence permit services for international participants.

Hangzhou's AI Hangzhou platform will additionally provide 24 online services, including assistance with tax refunds for departing international visitors.