China's longest-running trade event, the ongoing 136th China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, is showcasing technology-driven innovations from leading enterprises in tech research and development.
The fair kicked off Tuesday in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province. Themed "Serving high-quality development, promoting high-level opening-up," this edition of the biennial fair features more than 30,000 exhibitors showcasing 1.15 million new products.
Cutting-edge products dominate the show, including industrial robots, automatic machines, and laser equipment. Chinese manufacturers return year after year to introduce innovations even more advanced and intelligent than the previous versions.
"We are focused on the metal forming industry for shearing and bending machines. Our factory was built in 1958 and we have been joining the Canton Fair for more than 25 years," said Coco Lu, Deputy General Manager of Hubei Tri-Ring Metal-Forming Equipment.
This year's Canton Fair is presenting a diverse range of products across a sprawling 1.5 million square meters of exhibition space.
The vast majority of exhibition halls are packed with visitors and buyers, indicating the global business community is keen to engage with China.
Many exhibitors at the fair have benefited from China's policies to boost industrial optimization as the country aims to maintain an edge in a global economy that is increasingly driven by intelligent design.
"As a robotic forklift enterprise, recent national policies have significantly boosted our competitiveness overseas. Tax reductions have lowered our production costs, enabling us to allocate more resources towards independent research and development of core robotic technologies," said Ji Honglei, Chief Marketing Officer of GenSong Intelligent Technology Company.
This year's fair will be held in three phases between Oct 15 and Nov 4, with the first phase lasting five days.
Launched in 1957, the Canton Fair is the country's oldest and largest trade fair. Held every spring and autumn in Guangzhou, it is seen as a significant barometer of China's foreign trade.
China's longest-running trade event showcases technology-driven innovations
The three astronauts of China's Shenzhou-21 crewed spaceflight mission returned safely to Earth on Friday after completing their planned tasks aboard the Tiangong space station.
The return capsule of the Shenzhou-22 spaceship, carrying Shenzhou-21 astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 20:11 Beijing Time (1211 GMT), according to the China Manned Space Agency.
The returned astronauts were reported to be in good physical condition after landing, according to staff on site.
Zhang Lu was the first to exit the return capsule after it touched down on Earth.
"I'm thrilled to once again return to the embrace of our motherland. The Shenzhou-21 crew's seven-month stay in orbit would not have been possible without the care of our families and comrades, the support of leaders at all levels and all colleagues involved in the project, and above all, the backing of our country and our people. One sentence sums up my thoughts on my second space mission: 'It takes a whole team's devotion to make one person's voyage into the sea of stars,' " Zhang said in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) shortly after he was carried out of the return capsule.
"I also have a gift to share with everyone. On the day of the Shenzhou-21 launch, the ground support team gave us an apple, wishing us a safe and smooth mission. Our safe return is their greatest wish. Tomorrow is May 30, the National Science and Technology Workers' Day. So when we left the space station, we specifically brought back an apple. We want to give it to all science and technology workers, and say 'thank you for your hard work'. At the same time, I wish our space industry continued prosperity, and every mission safe and smooth," he said.
"Returning to Earth and to the embrace of our motherland, I feel extremely secure and proud. Being entrusted with such a significant responsibility in my first space mission is a great honor. It is the trust of my country, the guidance of my predecessors, and the teamwork of the entire crew that enabled me to successfully complete the mission. This mission has taught me that the most beautiful posture of youth is to march out for the country. I will turn this space experience into the driving force for my continued progress, and continue to fight and strive for the manned space program," said crew member Wu Fei.
"From the ground laboratory to China's space station, it is our great motherland that has enabled me to achieve a perfect integration of my scientific ideals and spaceflight dreams. With the support of the entire project team, the assistance of researchers and scientists, and the care of so many people, our crew has worked as one and successfully completed all assigned scientific projects, including the first successful in-orbit breeding of small mammals, the growing of a thriving space vegetable garden with an even wider varieties, and the collection of valuable data from projects such as in-situ electrochemical and optical studies on lithium-ion batteries," said Zhang Hongzhang, who was the last of the astronauts to exit the spacecraft.
"Looking at Earth from space, I deeply felt that humanity is an indivisible community with a shared future. Now that I am back on Earth and have returned to my motherland, I feel an immense sense of security and warmth. Going forward, I will continue to build on these achievements and contribute to making China a strong power in space, science and technology," he said.
The returned crew members will now head to Beijing by plane and enter a quarantined recovery period, during which they will undergo comprehensive medical examinations and health assessments and start their recuperation process.
Prior to their return, the astronauts completed all planned tasks and handed over the space station to their three colleagues of the Shenzhou-23 mission who boarded the space station on May 25.
The crew's planned stay in-orbit was extended by approximately one month to further verify the technologies regarding the long-term stay of astronauts in orbit and fully use the supplies delivered by the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft in an emergency launch.
The Shenzhou-21 crew's original spaceship, which sent them into space on Oct 31 last year, was previously returned to Earth carrying the astronauts of the preceding Shenzhou-20 mission after tiny cracks were found in the viewport window of the Shenzhou-20 manned spacecraft's return capsule. That spacecraft was later safely brought back to Earth.
Shenzhou-21 crew return to Earth after successful seven-month mission in space
