Second phase of 137th Canton Fair featuring over 10,000 exhibitors wraps up

The second phase of the 137th China Import and Export Fair, or Canton Fair, concluded on Sunday, featuring 24,735 exhibition booths and 10,313 participating exhibitors.

Focused on "quality home life," the five-day event showcased a wide range of products, including building and decorative materials, home decoration, and gifts, catering to the diverse needs of global buyers in search of refined offerings.

With a total exhibition area of 515,000 square meters, the number of exhibitors participated in the second phase of the 137th Canton Fair went up by 273 from the previous session.

More than 2,400 exhibitors in this phase are recognized as national-level high-tech enterprises, "little giants" enterprises, or national single champions of manufacturing industry, an increase of 100 companies compared with the same period last year.

Exhibitors have continually enhanced their manufacturing processes and innovative designs, strengthening both brand identity and product value, while actively expanding into international markets.

Pep Garcia, a Spanish exhibitor and CEO and founder of Maxchief Europe, a furniture manufacturer, said that each participation in the Canton Fair brings new opportunities and expressed his hope to further strengthen cooperation with Chinese companies.

"I've been attending the fair for many years and I'm excited to look for new items, new products, new designs. In China, the products are of very high quality. The design has improved a lot and we feel very comfortable working with products made in China. We are happy to strengthen our collaboration with Chinese suppliers," he said.

The third phase of the fair, scheduled for May 1 to 5, will focus on products that enhance quality of life, including toys, baby products, fashion, home textiles, stationery, as well as health and leisure items.

The 137th edition is being held in three phases from April 15 to May 5 in Guangzhou, the capital of south China's Guangdong Province.

Established in 1957, the Canton Fair is China's longest-running comprehensive international trade event and is widely regarded as a barometer of the country's foreign trade.

Second phase of 137th Canton Fair featuring over 10,000 exhibitors wraps up

The death toll from a shopping mall fire in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi climbed to 60 after at least 30 bodies were recovered from a shop of the multi-story building, officials said on Wednesday.

The bodies were recovered from the mezzanine floor of the shopping mall, said senior police official Syed Asad Raza, adding that several people are still missing and a search operation is continuing to recover them.

He said that the rescue efforts are being carried out using sophisticated machines, and debris is being removed from the collapsed sections of the building.

The official said that the rescue workers are facing difficulties reaching some parts of the building due to smoke and heat inside the damaged structure, adding that one part of the building is cleared and the other two parts are being combed to rescue people under the rubble.

Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi said that an investigation into the incident has been launched as authorities look into the fire from multiple angles.

Death toll from shopping mall fire in Pakistan's Karachi rises to 60