135th Canton Fair to open on April 15

The 135th China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, will take place from April 15 to May 5 in Guangzhou, the capital of south China's Guangdong Province. Officials from the ministries of commerce and foreign affairs, among others, briefed the media with the latest updates in a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on Monday afternoon.

According to Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen, the scale of the event will top past spring editions in the number of enterprises registered in the import and export fairs, new participants, early registered buyers from overseas, exhibition area and others.

Some 28,600 enterprises will participate in the export fair, which will cover an area of 1.55 million square meters. Over 4,300 are first-timers to the country's oldest trade fair, launched in 1957. Meanwhile, 680 enterprises are expected to participate in the import fair. To date, about 93,000 buyers from 215 countries and regions have completed pre-registration, and more than 220 commercial and industrial organizations will send delegations to Guangzhou.

Held twice a year, this year's spring session is expected to display China's high-level opening up in five outstanding ways, namely increased weight of innovation from participating enterprises, expansion on digital fronts, higher benchmark of quality examination, support for enhancing supply chain stability and continuous upscaling of the event with streamlined services.

Innovative enterprises and products featuring sustainability and independent IP will outnumber those of the last edition. About 3,600 enterprises are expected to exhibit their capacity on digital fronts, from automated guided vehicles to AI-powered translating machines. The fair's online platform will also begin operating. More than 6,700 out of 28,600 Chinese participants contributed to creating domestic and international industry standards, which ensures the quality of both the products and the fair.

While consumer products have traditionally dominated the fair, the number of products that help stabilize the global supply chain has increased in recent years. Meanwhile, China continues to enhance global cooperation, receiving 9.3 million visits from overseas since 67 years ago. In a recent survey, 94 percent of participants said they expanded their international market through the fair.