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China
Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the prime minister's official residence in the administrative capital of Putrajaya, Malaysia on Wednesday afternoon.
Xi arrived in Malaysia on Tuesday for a state visit, the second leg of his three-nation Southeast Asia tour.
Xi to hold talks with Malaysian PM
Xi to hold talks with Malaysian PM
Xi to hold talks with Malaysian PM
International buyers have been heading straight from exhibition halls to Chinese production lines during the ongoing 137th China Import and Export Fair, popularly known as the Canton Fair, held in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province.
Taking place from April 15 to May 5, this edition of the fair is divided into three themed phases -- "Advanced Manufacturing," "Quality Home Living," and the current phase, "Better Life," which opened on Thursday, focusing on products closely tied to everyday needs.
This year's fair has set a new benchmark with a record-high 224,372 overseas buyers from 219 countries and regions, marking a pivotal moment in global trade.
During the ongoing fair, many overseas buyers are not stopping at handshake agreements but taking the next step by visiting Chinese factories directly. After sealing deals at the fair, manufacturers across the country are already ramping up production to ensure timely delivery.
One precision manufacturing company specializing in optoelectronic products made waves at the fair's dedicated Service Robots Zone. Their newly developed service robot drew significant attention from global buyers. Now, at its automated production facility in Zhongshan, Guangdong, machines are running around the clock.
"We've connected with more than 200 interested customers through participating in the fair. Five groups of international buyers have already visited our factory. Buyers from four different countries have shown clear intent to purchase our prototype models," said Gu Shangqi, head of the unmanned systems department at Union Optech (Zhongshan) Technology.
Meanwhile, Greek buyer Carl Pas was captivated by a diamond painting manufacturer at the fair and soon traveled to Yiwu in east China's Zhejiang Province for a closer look. Accompanied by the company's foreign trade manager, Lei Dan, Pas toured the recently installed digital production equipment and assessed the product's European market prospects.
"I think they (the products here) are carefully designed and well thought out for the end consumer to make this craft a very enjoyable craft and keeping in mind quality and safety. It's a good time to sit with our partners and gives us an opportunity to do more than just buying a product from the Canton Fair. We come here and we partner to develop the future together with the company," said Pas.
For Lei, the trade manager, this kind of in-depth engagement is exactly what the company hoped to achieve.
"Our focus this year is to develop clients from the Canton Fair, especially from Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. We had a nine-square-meter booth at the fair that drew a lot of foreign buyers. After the exhibition, many came to Yiwu to see our factory's production and design capabilities. Some are already in the process of negotiating orders," she said.
According to Yiwu China Commodities City Group, more than 10,000 overseas buyers are expected to visit Yiwu during the fair season to explore new products, place orders, and build partnerships.
Canton Fair helps Chinese factories to connect with global buyers
