136th Canton Fair sees large influx of exhibitors, buyers on day one

The 136th China Import and Export Fair, popularly known as the Canton Fair, has seen a substantial influx of exhibitors and buyers shortly after its official opening on Tuesday, who are actively exploring new business opportunities arising from a notable increase in new products compared to the previous edition.

Themed "Serving high-quality development, promoting high-level opening-up," this edition of the fair commenced in Guangzhou, the capital city of south China's Guangdong Province.

As of Monday, 241 out of the top 250 global retailers and leading multinationals came to participate in the fair, marking a substantial increase from the previous edition. The number of large buyers expected to attend this year's fair is projected to exceed 300 for the first time, setting a record in popularity.

When the fair officially opened at 9:00 on Tuesday morning, numerous exhibitors and buyers started arriving at the venue, with attendance peaking by noon.

The total exhibition area of this fair is 1.55 million square meters, with over 30,000 enterprises from home and abroad attending the event offline, including 4,600 first-time exhibitors, many of whom operate in the digital technology and smart manufacturing sectors. The growing presence of new enterprises at the fair indicates fresh business opportunities, orders, and markets.

Besides, the number of new products on display has reached 1.15 million, with the quantity of digital smart products specifically increasing threefold compared to the previous edition.

For example, in exhibition areas of smart life and intelligent manufacturing, a variety of smart devices and unmanned driving products are set to debut, while the new energy area has introduced a specialized section for hydrogen-related and energy storage products for the first time, demonstrating an enhanced focus on more intelligent and environmentally friendly exhibits.

Many large buyers had already released their procurement checklists before the opening of the fair, showing significant interest and a high demand for household appliances, especially smart home appliances and electronic products.

The three-week fair will be held in three phases. The first phase, running from Tuesday to Saturday, will introduce new topics such as hydrogen energy and feature a dedicated area for energy storage products, attracting over 110 new energy companies.

Launched in 1957 and held twice yearly, the Canton Fair is considered a major gauge of China's foreign trade.

136th Canton Fair sees large influx of exhibitors, buyers on day one

China expects all parties in Colombia will steadfastly implement the peace agreement to achieve national stability, peace and development in all aspects, said China's United Nations envoy Geng Shuang at a Security Council meeting on the peace process in Colombia on Tuesday.

At the meeting, the United Nations Security Council deliberated on Colombia's progress in implementing the peace agreement reached between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in August 2016.

"We expect and believe that all parties in Colombia, under the leadership of President Petro and the Colombian government, will demonstrate firm determination in implementing the agreement, overcome various difficulties and challenges, and form powerful resultant forces in the peace-building process, to ultimately achieve national stability, peace and development in all aspects," Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told the U.N. Security Council meeting.

According to the Chinese envoy, China proposed that Colombia should continuously unleash the dividends of development, consolidate the achievements of peace talks, and enhance its security capabilities.

"We support the Colombian government in effectively implementing policies to disarm armed groups and combat criminal gangs, increasing security force deployment in areas lacking effective control, and better protecting vulnerable groups such as former armed personnel, women, children, and ethnic minorities," Geng said.

In 2016, FARC, the largest anti-government guerrilla group in Colombia, signed a peace agreement with the government, ending over five decades of armed conflicts. However, some of its members splintered off, continuing to attack government forces, leading to a deadlock in the peace talks.

China expects Colombia's firm implementation of peace deal to achieve national stability: envoy