138th Canton Fair to spotlight innovation, digital health

China's Ministry of Commerce announced at a press conference on Friday that the 138th Canton Fair, set to run in three phases from October 15 to November 4 in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, will feature new initiatives focused on showcasing innovation.

The upcoming China Import and Export Fair, commonly known as the Canton Fair, will also center on enterprise needs and deal-making, with a record-breaking lineup of over 600 product launch events, a 37 percent increase from the previous session.

According to officials, 63 percent of the new products incorporate innovative technologies, 48 percent achieve functional upgrades, 47 percent highlight green and low-carbon features, and 31 percent use cutting-edge materials. The event aims to reflect the vitality of China's foreign trade innovation.

Thirteen forums will be held during the fair, exploring topics such as trade digitalization, commercial applications of AI, and the silver economy. Over 100 organizations and about 120 speakers from government, business, academia, research, and media will take part.

"We'll see more accurate supply-demand connections. Nine 'Trade Bridge' matchmaking events will focus on high-demand sectors including new energy, home appliances, and building materials. We've collected purchasing lists from buyers early and matched them with exhibitors through multiple rounds," said Zhu Yong, director of China Foreign Trade Center.

The ministry also highlighted the growing global and domestic digital healthcare markets, pointing to high growth potential and emerging opportunities.

For the first time, the fair will feature a Smart Medical Zone with 140 booths and 47 industry-leading enterprises. Exhibits will cover upstream products across the smart healthcare chain, including medical robotics, AI diagnostics, and intelligent care technologies. Organizers hope the fair will help bridge gaps across the entire industry chain, from service providers to end-use applications.

"The Smart Medical Zone is designed to offer immersive, scenario-based demonstrations that allow participants to truly experience the progress of digital and smart medical technologies. We will also host in-person supply-demand matchmaking events to help companies explore international markets," said Wang Zhihua, director-general of the Department of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce.

138th Canton Fair to spotlight innovation, digital health

Deliberately targeting civilian service institutions in Iran by the United States and Israel is the biggest operational challenge facing humanitarian workers, according to Pir Hossein Kolivand, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

The United States and Israel on Saturday launched strikes against Iran, plunging the war-torn Middle East into a new round of violent conflicts. Iran has retaliated with a series of counterattacks against Israel and U.S. targets across the region.

A large-scale offensive jointly conducted by Washington and Tel Aviv on Saturday struck a girls' elementary school in southern Iran's Minab, home to a military base of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and killed over 160 pupils.

"The first attack targeted a girls' primary school in the city of Minab. It was a brutal and sad incident that was unprecedented in the history of humanity. More than 168 children aged 7, 8, and at most 9 and a half years old were martyred. The school was attacked in two phases, and unconventional weapons were used in this assault," Kolivand said.

At least seven hospitals and emergency stations in Iran, including Tehran's Gandhi Hospital, were struck by U.S. and Israeli attacks on Sunday night, causing widespread destruction and casualties.

The Iranian official framed these attacks as a fundamental violation of international laws.

"Our challenges are these direct attacks on the service providers. Just today, five of my colleagues were injured. And this is against humanitarian law, against the basic principles of the Geneva Conventions and against all international laws. One of our challenges is that international institutions are almost ineffective and we do not see any trace of it. That is, we do not feel any vital signs of it. These are our main challenges. We have no internal challenges," he said.

Iranian Red Crescent chief decries US-Israeli attacks on service institutions