Canton Fair opens dedicated zone to promote smart farming drones

The Canton Fair has for the first time set up a dedicated zone for agricultural drones within its agricultural machinery exhibition area, in promotion of Chinese-made sophisticated drones for smart farming.

The zone has become a highlight of the advanced manufacturing exhibition area at the ongoing 139th edition of the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, in south China's Guangzhou, drawing large crowds of buyers and securing numerous deals on site.

At the agricultural drone zone, many companies are showcasing their latest models. The displays have attracted large numbers of buyers, many placing orders on the spot.

One drone company has nailed three orders from Canada, New Zealand and Ireland in just one morning, with one order for as many as 50 units.

"The market will become increasingly broad. It is the first time for us to participate in the Canton Fair, and we have signed orders for nearly 100 units with customers from four countries. We are full of confidence that Chinese products, including Chinese robots, will go on the international market in the future," said an exhibitor named Shan Chaoqun.

China's agricultural drone industry is undergoing a clear transformation and upgrade from selling equipment to providing comprehensive solutions and multi-drone collaborative and intelligent operation systems. Now, many companies are developing integrated service platforms that cover drones, dispatch systems, data and maintenance.

The Canton Fair is held every spring and autumn in Guangzhou since its founding in 1957, and has been seen as a barometer of China's foreign trade.

The longest-established trade fair in China has seen record participation across its exhibition metrics this time -- over 32,000 companies are exhibiting, including about 3,900 first-time participants.

Tech-driven innovations have taken the center stage among the more than 4.65 million products showcased, with new, green and independently developed products accounting for 23 percent, 22 percent and 25 percent, respectively.

Canton Fair opens dedicated zone to promote smart farming drones

Canton Fair opens dedicated zone to promote smart farming drones

American Nobel laureate James Heckman said he remains positive and optimistic about China's development, as the Chinese have always been pragmatic and realistic.

Heckman, an American economist who won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2000, shared his views on China and the Chinese people in an exclusive interview with China Media Group (CMG) in Beijing, which was released on Friday.

"I think it comes from several forces, dealing with the Chinese and seeing the vitality in the society. And I think there is a fundamental energy there. The elements are there, the vitality is there in terms of the industries, the universities. The country's vital, the people are intelligent, the society is rich in a fundamental way. The Chinese have always been very pragmatic, and they are very realistic," he said.

Heckman said what makes him admire about the Chinese people is their virtues and values.

"Look at China as a place that has a deep sense of values. Hard work and the values that I think are truly virtues, character values. But, see, China also has a chip on its shoulder, it does. It had a chip on its shoulder since the 1840s, the Opium War, right? And so there's a sense that you can see it, and I don't mind, that's kind of good. Because they're getting stronger and stronger and you can't help but admire it in the sense that, yes, they are stronger, and they're doing things much more wisely in many ways than what we're doing," Heckman said.

"So there's a sense in which there's more of a sense of purpose in China. Most of the Chinese students that I deal with and people I deal with, even though they may disagree on details, have this sense of unity and pride in China. And I think that's lacking with a lot of Americans," he said.

U.S. Nobel laureate optimistic about China's development