More than 2,000 Chinese companies have registered for an annual trade exhibition with North Korea, which will be held in October in the Chinese border city of Dandong, state media reported Thursday.

North Korea and China have held the joint trade fair since 2012, underscoring the hopes of Beijing as it seeks to help develop business ties with the isolated neighbor despite the North's defiant pursuit of nuclear weapons.

The two nations will kick off the five-day trade show, named the North Korea-China Economic, Trade, Culture and Tourism Expo, in Dandong on Oct. 16.

The state-run China News Service reported that more than 2,000 Chinese firms and about 100 North Korean business entities will attend the upcoming fair.

The exhibition aims to "help Chinese enterprises explore the North Korean market," the report said.

At last year's exhibition, North Korea and China signed 93 preliminary deals worth $1.6 billion, although it was unable to confirm whether such deals usually lead to real shipments.

Besides North Korea and China, companies from Hong Kong, Russia, Thailand and Taiwan will join this year's exhibition, the report said. (Yonhap)