Canton Fair to be held online in April

CHINA will hold the 129th session of the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, online between April 15 and 24, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Wednesday.

This is the third online session of the fair following two successful ones in June and October last year. Continuing to hold the sessions online will consolidate the gains in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic, as well as social and economic development, the MOC said. Founded in 1957, the Canton Fair is seen as an important barometer of China’s foreign trade.

CETC develops full series of ion implanters

A SUBSIDIARY of China Electronic Technology Group Corp. (CETC) has developed full series of homegrown ion implanters for chipmakers, CETC said in Beijing on Wednesday.

The ion implanters are all made in China and can provide a one-stop service for global chipmakers, CETC said. CETC subsidiary Electronics Equipment Group has developed an ion implanter family ranging from medium current, high current and high energy implanters, to implanters for special applications and third-generation semiconductors, which can cover 28-nanometer manufacturing process.

Zhejiang sees surging online retail sales

ZHEJIANG Province, an e-commerce heartland in eastern China, reported a robust increase in online retail sales in the first two months this year.

The online retail sales of the province in the period reached 246.8 billion yuan (US$38.05 billion), up 48.5 percent from the same period last year, data from the provincial department of commerce showed. Residents in the province, home to the e-commerce giant Alibaba, spent 138.4 billion yuan on online shopping from January to February, up 54 percent year on year.

BYD hires engineers for Europe EV battery plant

SHENZHEN-BASED electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD is hiring engineers for its first overseas battery plant in Europe, the company said Wednesday, as it pushes to become an EV parts supplier.

Batteries are key components of EVs. BYD, which also makes semiconductors for EVs, sold 426,972 vehicles last year, among them 189,689 EVs. “The planning of the factory is to prepare for supply to European automotive customers and to prepare for the further expansion of BYD’s overseas business,” a BYD representative said, without detailing location.