On Thursday, March 16, 2023, the Ministry of Commerce held a regular press conference. Shu Jueting, Deputy Director of the General Office and spokesperson of the Ministry, answered questions on preparations for the 133rd Canton Fair.

The Paper:
The Ministry of Commerce said that the onsite events of Canton Fair and other exhibitions in China will be fully resumed, which has attracted wide attention. Could you brief on the preparations of the 133rd Canton Fair?

Shu Jueting:
The Canton Fair is an important window for China’s opening up and a major platform of foreign trade, serving as a critical channel for Chinese companies to explore the international market. The previous sessions of the Canton Fair have drawn wide attention from the global business community and all walks of life. Since 2020, we’ve introduced new models and held the Fair online for 6 sessions in response to the impact of COVID-19, which has helped keeping the industrial and supply chains of foreign trade unimpeded and the fundamentals of foreign trade and investment stable. As China has optimized and adjusted the response to COVID-19, domestic and foreign enterprises could participate in the Fair on-site now, so starting from the spring session this year, the Canton Fair will fully resume on-site events. The 133rd Canton Fair will be held in Guangzhou from April 15 to May 5 in 3 phases. It will continue to provide 24/7 service for participants with the online platform.
The 133rd Canton Fair will leverage its newly built venue--Area D for the first time, expanding the exhibition area from 1.18 million to a record-breaking 1.5 million square meters. 54 specialized exhibition sections will host more than 30,000 exhibitors onsite, including more than 5,000 quality enterprises such as manufacturing champions for a certain sector and national high-tech enterprises, etc. Thus the quality of exhibitors is improved steadily. Meanwhile, all qualified exhibitors can participate in the Canton Fair online so that more companies could enjoy the benefits. The number of exhibitors participating online will exceed 35,000. Marketing campaigns have been intensified for the upcoming Canton Fair to attract more domestic and overseas buyers. More than 40 “Trade Bridge” matchmaking activities will be organized to help enterprises secure orders and grow markets. During the 133rd Canton Fair, the second Pearl River International Trade Forum, a series of industrial and specialized forums and nearly 400 supporting activities for trade promotion will also be held to drive integrated development of the Fair.
The 133rd Canton Fair is of great significance, as it is the first session held in the first year to fully implement the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the CPC and the first session to fully resume on-site events after COVID. The Ministry of Commerce, together with other departments and localities, will do our best to stage a successful Canton Fair, give full play to its role as a platform for all-round opening up, keeping foreign trade stable and improving its structure. Chinese and international companies are welcome to join the grand event of the 133rd Canton Fair for business opportunities.