Showcasing a dazzling array of 300,000 new products with a focus on "Quality Home Life", the second phase of the 135th China Import and Export Fair, widely known as the Canton Fair, opened Tuesday in Guangzhou, capital city of south China's Guangdong Province,
Spanning an exhibition area of 515,000 square meters and housing more than 24,600 booths across 15 zones, the fair boasts the participation of 9,820 companies. The exhibition zones are dedicated to household items, gifts and decorations, as well as building materials and furniture.
On the event's online platform, participating companies have uploaded approximately one million exhibits for the second phase, including 300,000 new products, 210,000 green and low-carbon products, and 30,000 smart devices.
Over 1,100 companies have made their debut as exhibitors at this session of the Canton Fair.
Bolstering the event's innovation prowess, more than 1,400 specialized companies, including national high-tech enterprises and manufacturing industry champions are participating -- a significant increase of over 300 companies compared to the previous session.
The second phase also features a stronger exhibitor structure and a greater emphasis on brand presence, consisting of over 5,000 brand booths owned by more than 900 influential brands.
Adding to the international appeal, the import exhibition features 220 companies from 30 countries and regions, showcasing products like kitchenware, homeware, gifts, and souvenirs. Renowned international brands as well as enterprises from countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative are among the exhibitors.
To further facilitate business opportunities, the import exhibition will host a matchmaking event for buyers and sellers of imported home products.
Beyond the exhibits, the second phase also has a packed schedule of 22 events, covering industry conferences, new product launches, "Trade Bridge" promotion activities, and company and brand showcases.
The fair's kitchenware and tableware section alone occupies nearly 70,000 square meters accommodating close to 1,500 exhibitors. Notably, over half of the displayed products are brand-new, reflecting the fair's dedication to innovation and cutting-edge design.
The fair runs from April 15 to May 5 in three five-day installments.
Launched in 1957 and held twice yearly, the fair is considered a major gauge of China's foreign trade.
2nd phase of Canton Fair opens in Guangzhou, unveiling 300,000 new products
China is the "best possible partner" for Serbia to achieve its national goals, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in an interview prior to Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming state visit to the country.
In the exclusive interview with China Central Television (CCTV) in Belgrade on Tuesday, Vucic praised Xi as a humble man who keeps his word.
"We are doing a lot of preparations. We have many dreams. When you run the country you have big aims, high dreams. You need to put your new targets always. And if we can reach these new aims, new targets, new goals, the best possible partner for that has always been, and it will always be, People's Republic of China. And it's President Xi, because President Xi, he keeps his words. I see him as just a regular, humble, modest man, but which is not promising a lot, but when he promises something, then he fulfills that. I cannot tell you whether we had bigger preparations in our railroad sector or overall infrastructural sector or industrial sector, economy sector or tourism sector, whichever sector, or cultural sector, because there are thousands of things that we can and we should learn from our Chinese friends," he said.
Vucic said Serbia's preparations for Xi's visit would help ensure its success and deliver benefits to both nations.
"Let me say it's a big visit and now we are going to be, after today, we are going to be fully devoted to that visit, and I believe that we'll be able to deliver the very best results for the benefit and for the sake of Chinese people and Serbian people as well," he said.
The president also hailed the positive effects on bilateral trade between the two countries since a free trade agreement was signed in Oct 2023, making Serbia China's 29th global free trade partner.
"And there is one very important thing. The free trade agreement that we signed in Beijing. That's a big deal for us, because now we have reached 6.1 billion (U.S. dollars of) overall trade exchange between our two countries. And I believe that we're going to double or triple within 10 years, or even more than that, with this free trade agreement, this is very possible and I believe this will open new doors, new gates for better cooperation even in the future," he said.
Bilateral trade between China and Serbia soared from 596 million U.S. dollars in 2016 to 4.35 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. In 2022, China became the largest source of direct investment for Serbia.
China best partner for Serbia to achieve national goals: Serbian president
