The ongoing 137th China Import and Export Fair, commonly knowns Canton Fair, has drawn a record number of international buyers, with attendees acclaiming rich variety of goods and streamlined visa policies, which has boosted their confidence in doing business with China.
At an audio equipment booth, Thomas, a purchaser from Cambodia, tested a speaker by singing a traditional Cambodian song.
"So back (in Cambodia), my people, they love singing karaoke. Almost every day, every week, they (have) family gathering, they sing a song. So that's why we sell the speaker with microphone (the sale of which) is very well," Thomas said.
"The Southeast Asian consumers, they prefer the entertaining speakers, that is, the party-like ones with karaoke functions. Then they need the products of greater power, larger battery capacity, longer play duration and stronger bass," said a speaker exhibitor.
Thomas soon signed a 100,000 U.S. dollar preliminary deal with the exhibitor. He noted that China-made smart phones, smart watches, and other electronics dominate Cambodia's markets.
"(There are) so many smartphones in Cambodia imported from China, smart watch, smart rings, and (almost) every smart device," Thomas said.
China remains Cambodia's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade hitting 33.33 billion yuan (about 4.6 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter of this year -- a sixth consecutive quarterly increase and a historic high.
Despite global economic headwinds, Thomas emphasized his sustained confidence in the two countries' trade ties.
"Importing from China to my country (Cambodia) may be still the same, because Cambodian and Chinese, we have very good relationship. That's why I come here very often, every year," he said.
At the fair's debut service robots hall, crowds gathered to watch backflips performance presented by robot dogs, whose battery almost drained after hours of demonstration.
Argentine buyers, attending in person for the first time, purchased two units within two days. They said that this is their first time to see a real robot dog off line.
"This is future for us, this is future for our country, we are from Argentina,"said a purchaser from Argentina.
"(It is) 30 hours to our home, it's really hard to come here. But we are thinking we came to China every year to the Canton Fair," said another Argentine purchaser.
Last December, China optimized its visa-free policy for travelers from 54 countries, including the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia, and Germany. Under this updated policy, visitors transiting through China to a third country can enter visa-free for up to 10 days, engaging in tourism, business, and family visits.
Such convenient travel regulations have brought more newcomers to the Canton Fair.
"I'm from Marcedonia. Now there is no visa (requirements), simple to come here. I do businesses, I have my own company, I'm trying to find some ideas in business," said a purchaser from Marcedonia. Two purchasers from Uganda have been attracted by robots, lingering on the booths of Chinese agricultural robot exhibitors.
This is their second visit to the Canton Fair, and they are here this time mainly to bring advanced machinery from China -- the "one-stop" shopping center in their words -- to the farmlands in their motherland.
"Most of the Chinese farmers I see, they are using robots, they are using mower robots, they are using drones to spread pesticide. But now (what) I'm looking for is to also take this technology back to my country. Because China is a one-stop center currently now, when you visit China, you see each and everything in each sector," a Ugandan buyer said.
Overseas buyers enjoy experience at Canton Fair
