The 140th China Import and Export Fair, known as the Canton Fair, opened in Guangzhou on October 14. President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter, and Premier Li Qiang attended the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote speech.
In his letter, Xi Jinping noted that over the past 70 years the Canton Fair has played an important role in promoting trade between China and the world and has become an effective platform for China to expand high-level opening-up and advance an open world economy. Under the new circumstances, China stands ready to work with all countries to uphold the multilateral trading system, keep global industrial and supply chains stable and smooth, expand space for mutually beneficial cooperation, and advance inclusive economic globalization that benefits all.
In his keynote speech, Li Qiang said President Xi Jinping's special letter fully affirms the Fair's achievements and reaffirms China's firm resolve to expand high-level opening-up. “Through the window of the Canton Fair, the world sees the enormous vitality of the Chinese economy and society.” He stressed that market connectivity is not a tool for gaming but an effective measure to create incremental growth; international trade is not an accounting figure but an independent choice to improve wellbeing; and mutually beneficial win-win results are not one-sided compromise but mutual empowerment and shared success.
Li Qiang said China will share more market opportunities by further lowering market access thresholds and welcoming more foreign enterprises to invest and operate in China; expand mutually beneficial cooperation and deepen the alignment of development strategies with other countries; and firmly safeguard the international economic and trade order, multilateralism and free trade, advancing inclusive economic globalization that benefits all.
World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said in a video address that China's development offers rare opportunities to the world and the Canton Fair is an important platform connecting China with the world. She called on all parties to jointly advance WTO reform and build an open, rules-based global trading system.
This session covers a total exhibition area of 1.55 million square meters with more than 75,000 booths. It gathers 32,000 exhibiting enterprises and about 340,000 overseas buyers, while more than 700 representatives from nearly 90 countries and regions attended the opening ceremony. More than 11,000 exhibitors are high-quality firms such as specialized and sophisticated 'little giant' enterprises and single-champion manufacturers, with record-high shares of new products and green products.
The Fair is held in three phases from October 15 to November 4: the first phase features advanced manufacturing, the second focuses on quality household goods, and the third centers on a better life.