136th Canton Fair opens in Guangzhou with record number of exhibitors

The 136th session of the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, kicked off on Tuesday in south China's Guangzhou City, which has attracted a record high number of exhibitors exceeding 30,000.

Covering a total exhibition area of 1.55 million square meters, the fair will be held in three phases between Oct. 15 and Nov. 4, with the first phase lasting five days.

Some 390,000 digital and smart products as well as more than 1.04 million green and low-carbon products will be displayed at the event, up 300 percent and 130 percent, respectively, from the previous edition.

"We hope to explore and develop larger and broader overseas markets by continuously conducting technological innovations and rolling out new products," said Wang Weizhen, an exhibitor.

About 147,000 overseas buyers have pre-registered for the fair, showing their high enthusiasm for the event and strong interest in latest Chinese technologies and products.

"When I visit the Canton Fair, I always know that I will see the newest products in the world, the newest technologies - like human-computer interaction technologies [which] will be so much important. The artificial intelligence used in the products will be very attractive in the near future," said a Turkish buyer named Seren Atay.

The fair will also include 400 new product launch events, an increase of 30 percent over the previous edition. It has also optimized its cross-border e-commerce exhibition area and the trade services area to facilitate the participation of both exhibitors and buyers. Launched in 1957 and held twice yearly, the Canton Fair is considered a major gauge of China's foreign trade.

To mark Chinese Sturgeon Protection Day, around 550,000 Chinese sturgeons were released into Jingzhou and Yichang sections of the Yangtze River in central China's Hubei Province, as well as in Shanghai, on Saturday.

Nicknamed "aquatic pandas," Chinese sturgeons have existed for over 140 million years. However, the natural population of the species in the Yangtze plummeted in the late 20th century due to intrusive human activities.

The fish is primarily protected through artificial breeding followed by release into the natural environment. In recent years, China has made significant conservation efforts, including expanding artificial breeding and release and fostering natural breeding of the species.

The annual releases of captive-bred Chinese sturgeons have exceeded 1 million for two consecutive years since 2024, effectively replenishing wild populations of the endangered species.