An aerial view of the venue of the 135th session of the Canton Fair and the Pazhou Passenger Terminal in Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong Province, on April 15, 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Canton Fair

Participating in the Canton Fair has become increasingly easier for global exhibitors and purchasers, given the convenient transportation and visa services, the Global Times has learned.

The visa processing and issuance time at 90 percent of Chinese embassies and consulates has been shortened to four working days for overseas purchasers participating in the 135th session of the Canton Fair, held in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province from Monday to May 5, the Global Times learned from the organizer.

According to a survey by the organizer, more than 80 percent of overseas buyers expressed satisfaction with the improvements.

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport implemented the 144-hour visa-free transit policy, allowing travelers from 54 countries to enjoy the policy with a valid travel document and a confirmed flight ticket to a third country or region.

A self-service check-in machine for flights departing from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is seen at the venue of the 135th session of the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong Province, on April 16, 2024. Photo: Chi Jingyi/GT

Guangzhou's Pazhou Passenger Terminal, a key water transportation project adjacent to Canton Fair Complex that provides a direct ferry service between the Canton Fair venue and Hong Kong International Airport, is also providing a simplified visa application procedure to overseas Canton Fair participants, the Global Times learned from the Guangzhou Port Authority.

A visa on arrival counter has been set up at the Pazhou Passenger Terminal to facilitate foreign business personnel to apply for visas and to renew visas, reducing the processing time to less than 30 minutes.

The terminal ushered in a peak of passenger clearance from Monday, the first day of the Canton Fair.

"The Pazhou Passenger Terminal is adjacent to the Canton Fair exhibition halls and can be reached by walking about five minutes, which is very convenient," Mateo Garcia, a buyer from Switzerland, told the Global Times.

Garcia aims to purchase mobile phone spare parts, automotive interior supplies and other products at the 135th session of Canton Fair.

In order to save travel time and costs, many exhibitors from Hong Kong to Guangzhou chose to come and go through the Pazhou Passenger Terminal. Apart from flexible visa procedures, more flights, trains and ships bound for Guangzhou have been scheduled.

Since the operation on April 14, 2023, the Pazhou Passenger Terminal has witnessed more than 110,000 inbound and outbound passengers and over 3,000 vessels, according to the Guangzhou customs.

China Southern Airlines planned to increase the number of flights to and from Guangzhou to 16,000 during the Canton Fair.

The airliner has arranged 118 additional flights on popular routes between Guangzhou and China's major export cities such as Taizhou and Yiwu of East China's Zhejiang Province and Nantong of East China's Jiangsu Province.

More than 300 wide-body aircraft flights were added to popular routes from Guangzhou to Ningbo, Hefei, Wuxi, Jinan and Nanjing, adding nearly 40,000 seats.

For international routes, China Southern Airlines launched more direct routes or increased direct flights between Guangzhou and global cities including Doha, Moscow, Amsterdam, Istanbul, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Dubai and Manila.

The number of international flights from and to Guangzhou will reach 120 per day during the Canton Fair.