AS of Tuesday, over 170,000 overseas buyers from 210 countries and regions had registered to attend the 137th session of the China Import and Export Fair to be held in Guangzhou. Also known as the Canton Fair, the event will be held from April 15 to May 5, the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said at a press conference. About 72% of the registered buyers for the fair are from Belt and Road Initiative partner countries, 27.4% are from BRICS countries, 11.7% from Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) members, 14.3% from the Middle East and 10.5% from Europe and the Americas, according to the MOFCOM. As of Wednesday, 223 companies from the Global Retail 250 ranking, alongside major buyers worldwide, have confirmed attendance, marking a 9.9% increase from the October 2024 session. Leading global retailers such as Walmart (U.S.), Carrefour (France), Metro (Germany), Tesco (U.K.), Nitori (Japan), and Cencosud (Latin America) are among the participants. Additionally, 124 overseas business delegations — including the Canada China Business Council, London Chamber of Commerce, and Istanbul Chamber of Commerce — have registered, up 4% from the previous session. The total exhibition area will span 1.55 million square meters with about 74,000 booths, including nearly 73,000 for exports and about 1,600 for imports. This fair will be divided into three phases: the first will focus on advanced manufacturing, the second on quality home furnishings, and the third on products that promote a better quality of life, involving 172 product zones. For the first time, a special zone for service robots will be added in the first phase to focus on the latest achievements of China's AI sector. The strong participation of global buyers fully demonstrates the international business community’s confidence in the Canton Fair and “Made in China,” said Zhang Sihong, deputy director-general of the China Foreign Trade Center, the fair's organizer. “This reflects that people remain unwavering in their pursuit of better lives and high-quality, cost-effective products.” Aligned with China’s 2024 Government Work Report, the country continues to host major trade events like the Canton Fair, China International Import Expo (CIIE), and Global Digital Trade Expo to bolster foreign trade. The China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE), running concurrently with the Canton Fair in Hainan Province from April 13–18, will further complement these efforts. Established in 1957, the Canton Fair is held twice a year. 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.(SD-Agencies) | 