A TOTAL of 1,140 Shenzhen enterprises took part online and offline at the 130th Session of China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, which opened Thursday and runs until Tuesday.

Among them, 270 companies have set up their stalls on-site, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported, citing Canton Fair Shenzhen Trade Group.

After three online sessions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this session marks the first time that the Canton Fair is being held online and offline in exhibition halls covering 400,000 square meters in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province.

Shenzhen businesses participating in the Canton Fair consist of 11 State-owned enterprises, 71 foreign-invested companies and 1,058 private firms that will be showcasing and trading their products ranging from home appliances to electronic products during the five-day fair. Out of the total participants, 808 are manufacturing companies, 332 are foreign trade companies and 58 are brand enterprises.

Shenzhen has been active in organizing companies to attend the Canton Fair since the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone was established in 1980. Some of this year’s big-name local participants include Konka Group Co. Ltd., Skyworth Group Ltd., China Yong Feng Yuan Co. Ltd., Shenzhen Pango Medical Electronics Co. Ltd. and Shenzhen Lianchuang Technology Group Co., Ltd., to name a few.

This year’s fair has attracted 7,795 enterprises to set up 19,181 booths in 51 exhibition areas classified into 16 product categories, making it the largest global physical exhibition during the pandemic.

Nearly 100 international companies from 15 countries and regions and some of the top 500 global companies also displayed their items in the fair’s exhibition area.

The Canton Fair is considered as China’s key barometer for trade and commerce. It is also the country’s largest and longest-running trade fair since it started in 1957. The fair has shown China’s impact and influence in global trade throughout the years.

(Xia Yuanjie)