The 128th China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, kicked off in Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong Province, on October 15, 2020. Photo: Li Hao/GT

 
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) remains the biggest source of clients for the Canton Fair, the oldest and one of the biggest fairs for foreign trade in China, according to a report sent by the fair on Tuesday. 

According to the report, around 10 companies from Hong Kong have been consistently participating in the fair from 2018 to 2020. In the 125th fair held in 2019, buyers from Hong Kong numbered 17,798, similar to the number of 17,060 at the 126th fair.

The Canton Fair is held in Guangzhou, one of the cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), making it an important connection for bringing synergy to cities in the area.

Major business associations based in Hong Kong are also devoted partners with the Canton Fair, including the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong, China Travel Service Holdings and Federation of Hong Kong Industries.

“More Hong Kong businesses have shown interest in joining the fair,” the statement said. “The integration of Hong Kong companies will help bring more opportunities to the GBA.”

This year’s Canton Fair has moved online due to the coronavirus outbreak, and there are more than 60,000 online booths offering 2.358 million products, of which 691,500 are making their debuts. The scale is close to that of the June session of the fair, the first online Canton Fair due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Global Times