The 137th China Import and Export Fair, or the Canton Fair, concluded in Guangzhou City, south China's Guangdong Province on Monday, with the event seeing active business matchmakings and a significant increase in the number of participating buyers.
As of Sunday, the intended export transactions reached at the three-phase event, which was held from April 15 to May 5, totaled 25.44 billion U.S. dollars.
Of the total amount, transactions between China and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partner countries accounted for over 60 percent, serving as a key driver of the growth in deals.
More than 280,000 overseas buyers from 219 countries and regions participated in the fair, marking a 17.3 percent increase year on year.
With an exhibition area covering 1.55 million square meters, the 137th Canton Fair hosted approximately 31,000 exhibitors across some 74,000 booths.
This year's event set up an exhibition area for service robots for the very first time, with 46 leading domestic robotics companies showcasing over 500 products across 60 sub-sectors.
"[I'm] very happy with the opportunity to come to Canton Fair. I think it's really a good place to open mind, to get some new ideas, make new connections, [and] take a look of all the new products that China offers to the world. I think China is a very good country with very good ideas and technologies. I think now it's a good time to make some business together," said Maria Varga, a Brazilian buyer.
More than 4.55 million new products were put on display during the course of the fair.
The 138th Canton Fair is scheduled to take place in three phases starting on October 15 this year, with exhibitor recruitment and investment promotion efforts already underway.
Established in 1957, the Canton Fair is held twice a year in Guangzhou. It is the longest-running of several comprehensive international trade events in China and has been hailed as the barometer of China’s foreign trade.
137th Canton Fair comes to successful conclusion
