9th Cross-Strait Food Trade Fair in Fujian attracts over 1,000 exhibitors around world

The 9th Cross-Strait Food Trade Fair and the 12th Taiwan-Fujian (Quanzhou) Food Fair, which opened in Jinjiang City, east China's Fujian Province on Sunday, attracted over 1,000 exhibitors from around the world.

Spanning three days, the event covers an exhibition area of 60,000 square meters, featuring 2,200 standard booths. Exhibitors hail from various countries and regions, including Russia, the United Kingdom and Italy, as well as China's Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, with anticipated attendance exceeding 70,000 visitors.

The fair showcases six key areas, including finished snacks, new retail, food processing and packaging machinery, and food technology. It features five themed pavilions, a food technology innovation display area, a military innovation product zone, a regional brand pavilion, and other specialty exhibition areas.

Protesters filled Mexico City's Paseo de la Reforma on Saturday, rallying in solidarity with Venezuela and denouncing U.S. influence in Latin America.

The United States launched a large-scale military operation against Venezuela in the early hours of Jan 3, taking by force Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Holding numerous flags and banners while chanting slogans intermittently, a huge crowd of protesters criticized U.S. military actions against Venezuela and the unlawful control over President Maduro and his spouse, calling for respect for national sovereignty and regional peace.

"We oppose the U.S. intervention and hegemony towards the countries in Latin America. The United States has flagrantly trampled on international law, bombed Caracas and kidnapped the Maduro couple. The U.S. interventionism has become extremely blatant. We must firmly oppose and be highly vigilant, because this is not only related to a certain country, but also to all countries," said a protester.

"We demand that the United States stop interfering in Venezuela's internal affairs. The country must immediately cease its exploitation and plundering of the countries in Latin America," said another protester.