The 127th China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, which marked the first time the fair had been moved online, opened unlimited room beyond time and space restrictions for Chinese and foreign enterprises to engage in trade deals, industry experts said. It also explored a new path for international trade development, they added. The groundbreaking online fair contributed to the stabilization of foreign trade and investment during the coronavirus pandemic, said Xu Bing, Deputy Director of the China Foreign Trade Center and Spokesperson of the Canton Fair. Xu said it demonstrated China’s firm determination to the international community to expand opening-up and maintain the safety of the international industrial supply chain, as well as its responsibility to respond to pandemic conditions and support the multilateral trading system. The 10-day fair, which concluded last week, attracted nearly 26,000 exhibitors from home and abroad. They uploaded their product introductions to the online fair using graphics, videos and 3D images, attracting global buyers to purchase online, according to the Organizing Committee.

The Canton Fair attracted foreign purchasing agents from 217 countries and regions. Also, to help enterprises shift from exports to domestic sales, the Canton Fair also increased invitations to domestic buyers. The fair featured the latest technology trends, such as virtual reality and live-streaming promotions. Some exhibitors launched live-streamed promotions in four time zones, covering the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. This helped them seamlessly connect with buyers from across the world. Zhao Ping, Director of the International Trade Research Department at the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Academy (CCPIT), said: “The online Canton Fair accelerates enterprises’ digital transformation. It encourages enterprises to enhance comprehensive exploration in products, distribution channels and cooperation methods, helps them in reaching consumers in various countries and diversified markets, creating brands and building a global digital supply chain.”

Ying Er, Chairman of Zhejiang Apollo Motorcycle Manufacturing Co, a large company specializing in the production of off-road motorcycles, electric bicycles, e-scooters and other recreational vehicles, said his firm displayed five types of vehicles during the Canton Fair, including two winners of the Automotive Brand Contest in Germany. It secured orders worth a total of USD500,000 during the fair. In addition to regular clients, there were many potential buyers who left messages, and further contact is expected, Ying said, adding that the company’s shipments have been scheduled until November. Even though overseas buyers could not attend the fair in person because of Covid-19, holding the event online has certainly created new business opportunities for people in China and around the world, said Rodrigo Quilodran, a buyer from Chile. Through the event, he said he found the products he wanted simply by visiting webpages, adding that the expo injected new impetus to global trade. Xu Bing of the China Foreign Trade Center said: “In the future, the Canton Fair will continue to embrace digital trends and promote deep online and offline integration, to open up broader development space for domestic and foreign enterprises and create more business opportunities,” the China Daily reports.