On April 15, the 133rd Canton Fair was officially launched in Pazhou, Guangzhou.

This is the first time that the Canton Fair has been fully resumed offline after a lapse of three years. There was a long line of people at the entrance, flowing slowly forward like a tide.

"Just like Chinese New Year!" In front of the lively, let a "foreigner" buyer loudly lamented to his partner.

On this day, the number of visitors to the Canton Fair reached 370,000.

The scene of the Canton Fair, a stream of Chinese and foreign merchants. Photo by Wei Hongyi, Xinhua News Agency

As the "barometer" and "weather vane" of China's foreign trade, the Canton Fair ushered in the largest session in history: the total exhibition area increased to 1.5 million square meters, and nearly 35,000 offline exhibitors...... In the "popularity explosion" in recent days, stories about new products, new "sellers" and new friends continue to be "new", helping to form a joint force to continue to play the role of exports in supporting the economy, highlighting the resilience and vitality of the Chinese economy.

Reunion after three years: "Attract customers with newer and better products"

Liaoning Chaopeng Clothing Co., LTD., which participated in the third phase of the Canton Fair, will bring 600 exhibits, of which nearly eight are new designs.

This is a company deeply engaged in the field of tooling and outdoor clothing. For years, most of the company's customers came from the Canton Fair.

"We have been looking forward to the resumption of the offline Canton Fair to attract customers with newer and better products." Super Peng clothing chairman Wang Tongfei said. This year, the company sent invitations to hundreds of overseas customers nearly two months in advance, compared with half a month in previous years.

The first show of new products is also a significant highlight of this Canton Fair, and more than 300 new products were launched online and offline, involving industrial manufacturing, electronic appliances, building materials and home improvement, hardware tools, home consumption, fashion life, health and leisure.

"China's labor cost advantage has declined in recent years, but the rapid growth and industrialization since the reform and opening up have significantly improved the supporting capacity, agglomeration effect and economies of scale of China's industries, and thus forged new foreign trade advantages." Wei Qijia, director of the Industrial economy Research Office of the Economic Forecasting Department of the State Information Center, said

At the opening ceremony of the 133rd Canton Fair, Jennifer Parton spoke on behalf of Kopel. Photo by Wei Hongyi, Xinhua News Agency

The latest statistics show that in the first quarter, China's total import and export of goods increased by 4.8% year-on-year, of which exports increased by 8.4%, maintaining rapid growth. During the same period, imports and exports to countries along the Belt and Road increased by 16.8%.

"China continues to open wider to the outside world and continuously expands the space for foreign trade." Fu Linghui, director of the Department of Comprehensive Statistics of the National Economy of the National Bureau of Statistics, said that in general, the next stage of stable foreign trade policy will continue to be effective, which is conducive to achieving the goal of promoting stability and improving the quality of foreign trade throughout the year. (Journalists Liu Xiacun, Wei Hongyi, Ding Le and Hong Zehua)