More than 30,000 exhibitors are displaying 1.15 million new products at the ongoing 136th China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, dazzling global buyers with high-tech innovations.
Themed "Serving high-quality development, promoting high-level opening-up," the 136th Canton Fair kicked off at the Guangzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center in Guangzhou, capital city of south China's Guangdong Province, on Tuesday.
At the section of consumer electronics and information products, an earphone product of a local brand caught the eyes of a foreign buyer.
"It has sound quality, very clear sound. At the highest level of the volume, you still hear very clear sound," said a foreign buyer.
"On this Canton Fair platform, we constantly welcome new customers and have seen an increasing number of companies bringing their latest technologies to the fair, so we are all building up strength to have flagship products to present at the Canton Fair," said Zheng Shu, sales director of Guangzhou Havit Technology Company.
The most popular exhibits among the buyers are artificial intelligence (AI) products and technologies.
Gao Zhenfei, general manager of a local technology company, has found the booth of his company often crowded with buyers to check out the AI recognition cameras on display.
"If children are eating something by mistake or holding something sharp, the camera will automatically alarm, so that the parents can take care of it," Gao said.
In addition to staging technological innovations, the Canton Fair has also been serving as an important platform for Chinese cities to display trade and investment opportunities.
During this year's Canton Fair, Xi'an City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province is holding a promotion conference on foreign trade, China-Europe freight train, Air Silk Road, cultural innovation and tourism at the Pazhou Complex of the exhibition center, with record 42 companies setting up a record high number of booths at the event.
"I have participated in the Canton Fair for 21 years. It has brought us many long-term orders. About 40 percent of our orders are from the Canton Fair, gradually progressing through the order-following and the signing of agreements," said Yang Hancheng, general manager of Shaanxi Succeed Trading Company.
Over 1 mln new products enchant global buyers at 136th Canton Fair
Media leaders and academics gathered this week in Rio de Janeiro for the 2024 China–Latin America and Caribbean Media Cooperation Forum, seeking stronger connections between the two sides.
Under the theme "Mutual Learning, and Mutual Understanding," the forum, which lasts from this Tuesday to Friday, aims to highlight common ground between China and Latin America despite barriers such as distance, language and culture.
Chinese newspaper the People's Daily and Brazilian news organization Monitor Mercantil teamed up to co-organize this year's forum, marking the first collaboration between the two media organizations.
The meeting focused on the decade-long friendly cooperation between China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), particularly in the media realm.
"In the past 10 years, we've focused on improving our structure and have produced a vast number of stories that showcase the vitality of both China and Latin America. Today, we are welcoming nearly a hundred media outlets and think tanks from both regions," said Hu Guo, vice president of the People's Daily, speaking on stage at the event.
Marcos de Oliveira, president of Monitor Mercantil, emphasized that as China becomes a leading trade partner for CELAC, the need for more direct communication is growing increasingly important.
"What happens in Latin America is that much of our news contact with China comes through Europe or the United States, which are partners with a strong Western bias. However, today the internet is making it easier for us to engage in a more fluid dialogue without any intermediaries," he said, speaking to a reporter.
This year's Silk Road Global News Awards were also announced at the event. Journalists were encouraged to submit their work in four categories: reporting, photography, video, and innovation.
Attendees said forums of this nature provide an opportunity to exchange experiences and ideas.
"For journalists it's very important. It's crucial for our social development, for our business development, for our cultural development and for better living of the future generations. China needs us, and we need China," said Malu Fernandes, a journalist with the Brazilian Press Association.
Many at the meeting said Chinese and Latin American media are not only injecting new energy into Sino-Latin relations but are helping facilitate understanding amid economic and geopolitical uncertainties.
China, Latin American countries hold forum to bolster media cooperation
