The third phase of the 135th Canton Fair opened on Wednesday with the Canton Fair Selections Launch, a series of product launch events to promote high-quality and innovative products, presenting exhibitors with various business opportunities.
A total of 85 online and off-line product launch events will be held during the third phase. Products in sectors including fashion and style, health and leisure, toys, luggage and leather goods will be brought to the fore after careful selection.
For example, trendy toy cars equipped with smart control systems have drawn the attention of many overseas buyers after being displayed during the launch event.
"We do not have this model in Russia. There are a lot of kids in our country and they love riding a toy car on summer days. So, I think this model will sell well in my country," said a Russian buyer.
As an important platform for exhibitors to build a better image and showcase their products, the Canton Fair Selections Launch has offered Chinese companies good opportunities to engage with high-quality buyers both at home and overseas over the years.
"We hope to reach out to global consumers through the platform offered by the Canton Fair Selections Launch. You see. There are a lot of buyers today at the Canton Fair and many of them may become our clients. We believe the sales will be promising," said Shen Hui, an exhibitor.
Canton Fair Selections Launch showcases diverse products, brings business opportunities to exhibitors
The Israeli military has continued its military operation in the southern Gaza Strip, forcing a large number of Gaza residents to flee to Al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis. The so-called humanitarian zone, as decreed by Israel, is in fact a sandy wasteland with almost no facilities to provide basic humanitarian needs.
Al-Mawasi stretches approximately 12 kilometers long and one kilometer wide, occupying just 4 percent of the entire Gaza Strip. Once a coastal desert with about 9,000 residents, it now shelters hundreds of thousands of displaced people.
Makeshift tents constructed from wooden boards and plastic sheets divide the once sandy ground into narrow pathways, surrounded by heaps of trash and clothes worn by refugees, who walk barefoot on the sandy terrain.
Raed Abu Taima, a man in his 40s from central Gaza, has experienced the hardships of displacement. Over the past six months, he and his family have repeatedly fled due to Israeli military actions.
"We left our home with nothing and sought refuge in a school. We lived there for four months until the Israeli army surrounded us and forced us to leave. We didn't even have blankets. We walked through the Israeli checkpoints to reach Rafah. We have no tents or blankets, we have nothing," he said.
However, before reaching Rafah, Raed encountered another Israeli military blockade and was apprehended for 52 days. It was only after the Israeli army determined that he had no affiliation with armed organizations that he was released in Khan Yunis. Thereafter, Raed embarked on a search to find his family in Al-Mawasi.
Although he was eventually reunited with his family, Raed found that Al-Mawasi lacks any public services. Food is sporadically distributed by UN agencies and consists of limited supplies of flour and vegetables, while water needs to be fetched from distant wells. Every day, Raed scours for firewood and scraps of paper to cook meals.
"We don't have gas for cooking, and there is no food available in the market. Food and basic supplies are only distributed to us through relief organizations. Our lives seem to have turned into a desert. Poor sanitation conditions have led to the spread of diseases among children. One of my children has diarrhea and another has contracted chickenpox," he said.
Displaced Gaza residents suffer unbearable anguish in "humanitarian zone"
Displaced Gaza residents suffer unbearable anguish in "humanitarian zone"
