The 140th edition of the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, entered its third day on Saturday, with a wave of AI-powered products making their debuts and injecting fresh momentum into China's export growth.
The event opened to visitors in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province on Thursday, and will be held in three phases through Nov 4.
The latest edition of the fair is showcasing 235,000 AI products, while more than 20,000 exhibitors have adopted different kinds of new technologies. Booths featuring the latest AI products have been drawing crowds, with visitors waiting in long queues to try out the exhibits.
"[The Canton Fair] really gets more popular every year. By around 9:30, people were already queuing in two lines. Some buyers did not want to wait to try the products, so they just bought them on the spot," said exhibitor Liang Linchao.
"The enthusiasm of Canton Fair [buyers] has exceeded my expectations. About one-third of customers want to take one home immediately after the fair ends. That gives us great confidence to explore and expand our overseas markets," said another exhibitor Cui Wei.
Beyond creating business opportunities, products showcased at the Canton Fair can also make a difference in the lives of people in need.
Max Young, who was visiting the Canton Fair for the third time, brought his mother along this time. The mother and son had expected to simply soak up the bustling atmosphere, but an exoskeleton robotic device they came across brought them an unexpected surprise.
His mother, who has had difficulty walking since suffering a stroke, was able to stand up and walk with the help of the device.
"It just keeps my legs going. It's good. Yes, it's good," said his mother, Suzanne Elliott, almost bursting into tears.
"Last year she had a stroke, so the left-hand side of her body is a little bit weaker. About one year ago she couldn't walk or stand up at all. We tried this one today. It seems very good. I think it would help her to get better," said Young.
At the 140th Canton Fair, many exhibitors are accelerating the rollout of research achievements into real application scenarios, turning technological strengths into market advantages and making the fair a major showcase for technological innovation.
"Extremely impressive. Just everything about the efficiency and just how vast and large everything is. We saw a lot of production now is gone to robotics production, AI technology, less humans, really advanced and precise, a lot of precision manufacturing. I think innovation is starting here now. I think now the initiation is here, the R and D is here, and the creativity is coming from China. Very, very impressed," said Canadian buyer Yehuda Klein.
Serving as a barometer and wind vane of China's foreign trade, this year's fair, marking its 70th anniversary, features innovation, intelligence, greater specialization and higher quality.
The Canton Fair is one of the world's few one-stop trade platforms offering a complete range of products with convenience and efficiency, while bringing together the latest products and technologies.
AI products take center stage at 140th Canton Fair, showcasing innovation, offering real-world benefits
AI products take center stage at 140th Canton Fair, showcasing innovation, offering real-world benefits
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic met with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Zagreb on Saturday, expressing Croatia's willingness to further expand cooperation with China.
During the meeting, Plenkovic asked Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, to convey his sincere greetings to the Chinese leadership, saying that he looks forward to visiting China at an early date and meeting with the leadership.
Relations between Croatia and China have continued to improve, underpinned by mutual respect and sincere cooperation, Plenkovic said. Chinese enterprises have participated in infrastructure projects in Croatia, including roads, bridges and tunnels, he said, noting that the Peljesac Bridge has played a significant role in improving connectivity between different parts of the country.
The Croatian side highly appreciates these contributions and welcomes continued participation of Chinese enterprises in the country's development, he said. Croatia is willing to further expand cooperation with China in such areas as tourism, photovoltaics and wind power, he added.
The prime minister also welcomes the launch of direct flights between Croatia and China, looking forward to closer exchanges between their peoples.
Stressing that Croatia attaches great importance to cooperation with China under the China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) framework and the Belt and Road Initiative, Plenkovic said Croatia is willing to continue contributing to these efforts and looks forward to the early resumption of CEEC-China leaders' meeting mechanism to create new opportunities for closer high-level exchanges between the two sides.
For his part, Wang conveyed the Chinese leadership's good wishes to Plenkovic and welcomed him to visit China at a mutually convenient time.
Wang said China was among the first major countries to establish diplomatic relations with Croatia, adding that bilateral relations have enjoyed healthy, steady and sustainable development under the strategic guidance of the two countries' leaders.
China and Croatia treat each other with sincerity and mutual respect and have established a mature, long-term comprehensive cooperative partnership, Wang said, noting that this has been the right choice made by both sides. China is willing to further elevate bilateral relations on this foundation, he added.
Moreover, Wang said China cherishes its traditional friendship with Croatia and is willing to translate it into a strong driving force for bilateral relations in the new era.
Wang also said China respects the choices of the Croatian people and Croatia's governance model, and is willing to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation to support each other's development and revitalization.
China values people-to-people and cultural exchanges with Croatia and has introduced measures, including unilateral visa-free access and direct flights, to facilitate travel and enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples, Wang stressed.
In addition, Wang noted that China firmly believes that China and the European Union (EU) are partners, not rivals. China supports European integration and Croatia's efforts to achieve faster development through this process, and hopes Croatia will play a constructive role in deepening China-EU cooperation, Wang added.
Meanwhile, Wang stressed that China and CEECs share a practical need to strengthen exchanges and cooperation. Such cooperation is entirely open and transparent and contributes to European integration, he said.
China is willing to strengthen cooperation with interested countries in the region through established mechanisms, Wang said, noting that China appreciates Croatia's positive attitude in this regard and is ready to use the 15th anniversary of the China-CEEC cooperation mechanism next year as an opportunity to reinvigorate mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides.
The two sides also exchanged views on China-EU economic and trade relations. Plenkovic said that EU countries, including Croatia, have concerns about trade imbalances. Participants at the recent EU summit spoke positively of the consensus reached through the China-EU trade and investment consultation mechanism and expressed hope that the two sides would continue to strengthen communication and dialogue to properly address their differences, he said.
Wang said that trade issues between China and the EU stem from the international division of labor and market demand. Imports of high-quality, competitively priced Chinese goods benefit European consumers and help curb inflation, reflecting demand in the European market, and there is no so-called "overcapacity" problem, he noted.
China is willing to import more high-value-added products from Europe and hopes the EU will ease restrictions on exports to China, Wang said. China is committed to promoting balanced growth in bilateral trade, with both sides moving forward rather than backward and expanding shared benefits rather than diminishing them, he added.
He also said China is ready to strengthen dialogue with the EU on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, jointly uphold free trade and advance open and inclusive economic globalization.
Meanwhile, Plenkovic briefed Wang on the situation in the Western Balkans. Wang said that China does not interfere in the internal affairs of countries in the region and hopes that all countries will enhance understanding, rebuild mutual trust and coexist in harmony through dialogue. China is willing to play a constructive role in line with the needs of countries in the region, he added.
Croatian PM meets Chinese FM, voices willingness to expand bilateral cooperation
