China’s foreign trade is expected to sustain an upward trend in the near future, as more export-oriented companies focus on developing new levels of competitiveness, according to Xu Bing, Spokesman of the Canton Fair, which concluded on May 5 in Guangzhou with reported total transactions increasing by 6.9% year-on-year to CNY206.357 billion. “Development of new competitiveness – including technology, brands, quality and services – is behind the increased transactions for Chinese exporters,” said Xu. There were 196,490 overseas buyers from 213 countries and regions visiting the fair, a rise of 5.87% year-on-year. The Spokesman said more companies were attaching importance to innovation and building overseas branding and sales centers. Transactions at the brand exhibition areas during the fair increased by 16.9% year-on-year to USD10.9 billion, accounting for 36.3% of the total.