Hannover Messe, one of the world's largest trade fairs hosted by Germany, is looking forward to welcoming more exhibitors from China in the coming years, said the chief of the trade fair.

"I hope (the COVID-19 pandemic) was only a once-in-lifetime challenge and that we'll be able to host a thousand or even more Chinese exhibitors in the future again," said Jochen Koeckler, chairman of the managing board of the Deutsche Messe AG said on Monday.

Only around 100 Chinese exhibitors participated in the event this year due primarily to the COVID-19 pandemic and the number exceeded 1,300 in 2019.

"For us, it's very important to have a huge audience from China here," Koeckler said.

This year's event, which opened on Monday and will last until June 2, has brought together some 2,500 exhibitors from over 50 countries and regions.

The lead theme is "Industrial Transformation," and the focus is on digitalization and sustainability.