news.cgtn.com/news/2021-04-16/VHJhbnNjcmlwdDUzODYw/index.html
COVID-19 has forced the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, online this year. But rather than being a negative, participants say it's proving successful. Lu Sirui has more on the event's transition to digital.
This year's online Canton Fair has attracted more than 26-thousand companies from across the world. Many of them are attending the online event via livestreams. Companies say guests visiting brick-and-mortar shops may be able to touch their products in person. But they say the virtual exhibition allows them to present their products in greater levels of detail.
FANG WUJUN Manager, Guangzhou Textiles Holdings "As a local company in Guangzhou, we think the fair offers us great opportunities to reach new customers from across the globe. This year, with our previous online exhibition experience, we hope to get more deals and more attention from new buyers."
Over 2 million products from across sixteen different categories are being exhibited. Officials say the online fair is doing away with geographical and time constraints.
XU BING Deputy Director, China Foreign Trade Center "This time we've expanded the invitation to large-scale supermarkets and cross-border e-commerce companies. We also help foreign companies to cooperate with potential partners, building up connections within the Chinese market."
Buyers from more than 200 countries and regions have signed up for the event. The fair will end on April 24th. Lu Sirui, CGTN, Guangdong Province.