131st Canton Fair sees par�cipa�on of global partners from all RCEP countries

The 131st China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, will kick off Friday with 170 global partners, including 40 from all the members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the world's largest trade deal so far.

The time-honored trade fair will hold this year's edition online from April 15 to 24 due to COVID-19, the Ministry of Commerce said Thursday.

The 10-day fair will present more than 2.9 million exhibits with about 900,000 debuts and over 480,000 low-carbon products, Xu Bing, spokesman of the fair, also deputy director of China Foreign Trade Center, said at the event's opening press briefing held on Thursday.

All figures above are new historical highs, according to the official.

With cooperation agreements signed with commercial associations from Laos, Vietnam and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Canton Fair this year has 170 partners and its partnership now cover all RCEP countries.

The 25,000-plus domestic and overseas exhibitors will have their exhibits classified into 16 categories, such as electronic products, home appliances, and presented in 50 exhibition areas.

A specific zone showcasing products from once poverty-stricken areas will also be in place at the fair to introduce rural revitalization progresses.

Themed around "linking the domestic-international dual circulation", the online expo will feature online showcases, product launches, matchmaking events for businesses.

"This Canton Fair has seen the enthusiastic response and participation of suppliers and purchasers. So far, 20 top international enterprises have gathered more than 400 professional buyers, and prepared long shopping lists. Domestically, a total of 33 trade groups, more than 50 industrial clusters and over 500 enterprises have signed up for matchmaking events," said Xu.

The organizers have further streamlined the technical infrastructure of the online platform to ensure a more smooth, rapid and stable internet access of online exhibitors and visitors from around the world.

"We have reconstructed the technical base of the online platform, whose operation system (OS) can now release functions in minutes instead of hours like in previous events. For example, the live-streaming module now based on the Cloud Streaming Services and Video on Demand of Tencent Cloud can shorten the deployment time from two to three weeks to one or two days," said Liu Shi, head of Tencent emergency response operation headquarters for Canton Fair.

Held since 1957, the fair is held twice a year in south China's Guangzhou City to facilitate global trade.