A representative at the Trade Development Council (TDC) on Tuesday said it would lead dozens of company representatives in promoting Hong Kong brands via livestreaming sales, when they join the eighth edition of the China International Import Expo in Shanghai.

The expo, one of the country's most prominent trade shows, is scheduled to take place from Wednesday to November 10 at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre, where the TDC will have booths featuring 54 SAR enterprises to showcase their products and services to mainland customers.

Kent Lyu, TDC's regional director for eastern and central China, told RTHK that among the featured companies would be one behind a century-old soy sauce brand, which is making its debut at the Shanghai trade show.

Thirty-three companies will exhibit at the food and agricultural products hall while another 21, specialising in technology, innovation and traditional service industries, will be in the services pavilion.

"This year, we have set up a livestreaming room in the food exhibition hall for the first time to encourage our exhibitors to use it and the mature e-commerce network on the mainland to sell their products," Lyu said.

"We will do nine hours of livestreaming every day for five consecutive days starting from November 6."

The expo offers a good entry opportunity into the mainland for SAR firms, Lyu said, urging them to innovate and upgrade their products and services through exchanges with their peers.

"We can see that uncertainties and the global economic fluctuations will persist for the foreseeable future, and what the TDC can do is to help enterprises seize business opportunities and encourage them to innovate and upgrade," he said.

"We hope that through empowering the companies to be innovative, it'll open up a new chapter in Hong Kong's trading future."

Some 380 local businesses will be attending the expo in Shanghai.

Also taking part will be Chief Executive John Lee, who said this marks the first large-scale promotional event organised by the government's newly established "GoGlobal" task force to assist mainland enterprises to expand into overseas markets.

Themed "Hong Kong – the ideal platform for mainland enterprises’ global expansion”, Lee and businesses in industries spanning food and agriculture, healthcare, trades and services will showcase the city's advantages at the expo.

Some leading enterprises from the mainland will also be sharing their successful experiences at the expo in utilising Hong Kong as a "springboard" to go global.

The expo this year is expected to bring together a total of 3,200 companies from more than 110 countries and regions.