A total of 3,000 volunteers are providing services at the ongoing 136th China Import and Export Fair, popularly known as the Canton Fair, offering significant convenience to visitors to the trade fair.
Among the volunteers are university students majoring in Russian, Spanish, Arabic and other languages, helping to provide visitors with assistance in their native tongues.
In total, 100 volunteer service stations have been set up at the entrances and exits of the exhibition halls, parking lots, bus stations and other locations to assist visitors.
International visitors indicated that the service stations helped improve their experience at the fair, and volunteers said they were delighted to assist them.
"Most of the visitors speak English. There are also some speaking Russia. They often inquire about where to get the entry certificates, or ask for translation service. Our main role is providing guidance to them," said Li Hongkun, a volunteer.
The fair will be held in three phases between October 15 and November 4 and is set to include 55 exhibition areas covering 1.55 million square meters.
Launched in 1957 and held twice yearly, the Canton Fair is considered a major gauge of China's foreign trade.
3,000 volunteers serve at Canton Fair, boosting convenience for int'l visitors
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.79 percent to hit a new all-time high as the three major U.S. stock indexes all rose on Wednesday.
Strong performance of banking and airline stocks propelled the across-the-board rise. Morgan Stanley reported third-quarter earnings that exceeded analyst estimates, with its shares rising to a record high, gaining more than 6 percent. United Airlines also reported better-than-expected third-quarter earnings, with its stock surging more than 12 percent for the day. Nuclear stocks in the U.S. also soared as Amazon on Wednesday announced major investments in small modular reactors in the states of Virginia and Washington. Following Microsoft and Google, Amazon is the latest tech giant to invest in nuclear powers this year.
In Europe, data released by the UK's Office for National Statistics on Wednesday showed that the UK's inflation rate in September dropped significantly to 1.7 percent, the first time hitting below the central bank's 2 percent target since April 2021. The news bolstered confidence in the UK market, and the FTSE 100 index rose for the day.
Meanwhile crude oil futures continued their downward trend from the previous session, with a 0.27 percent drop. Brent crude futures fell by 0.04 percent.
Influenced by the decline in U.S. Treasury yields and a rise in risk aversion due to the tensions in the Middle East, international gold prices rose by 0.46 percent on Wednesday, closing at 2,691.30 dollars per ounce.
Dow Jones gains 0.79 percent to hit new all-time high
