136th Canton Fair wraps up with record intl buyer attendance

GUANGZHOU -- The 136th Canton Fair, officially known as the China Import and Export Fair, concluded on Monday in Guangzhou, South China, recording a historic high in terms of overseas buyer attendance, according to data from the organizers. As of Sunday, a total of 253,000 overseas buyers from 214 countries and regions had attended the event, marking an increase of 2.8 percent compared to the previous edition held from April 15 to May 5 this year, setting a new record, Zhou Shanqing, deputy director of China Foreign Trade Center and head of the fair's media center, told a press conference held on Monday. Themed "Serving high-quality development, promoting high-level opening up," the 136th Canton Fair featured more than 30,000 exhibitors showcasing 1.15 million new products. Chu Shijia, deputy director and secretary general of the fair and head of China Foreign Trade Center, said that the continuous expansion of the Canton Fair reflects the growth and strength of China's foreign trade, and demonstrates China's unwavering determination to open wider to the outside world, providing new opportunities for the world with the country's new development and contributing to the development of an open global economy.