The 127th Canton Fair commences online today 重磅！今天要霸“屏”了！

今天，第127届广交会在线上开幕。广东全省共有4268家企业参展，展位总数13039个。本届广交会在网上举办，既是应对疫情冲击的务实举措，同时也是自身创新发展的重要举措，是展会拥抱数字化的全新尝试，对广州会展业创新发展将会产生较强的示范、引领和带动作用。

The 127th Canton Fair, the first online fair in its 63-year history, commences today (June 15) and will last through June 24. Some 50 virtual exhibition zones are set up, featuring 1.8 million products in 16 categories,including electronic products, household appliances, furniture, clothing and suitcases.

This year's online fair attracted 25,000 companies from across China and more than 380 enterprises from 28 countries and regions, according to official data.

Of those enterprises, 4,268 are from Guangdong province, including 588 from Guangzhou.

Offering 24-hour livestreaming services, this year's fair will make full use of information technologies like big data and cloud computing to facilitate instant communication and negotiation between companies and buyers with higher efficiency and lower cost. Official data shows that 78% of Guangzhou companies attending the fair will set up some 760 live stream rooms to display and promote their products.

Photo/Xinhua

"The online fair is expected to be an ideal opportunity for enterprises to explore global markets in the face of challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic," said Wei Min, deputy director of the commerce bureau in Guangzhou, at a press conference on June 15.

According to Wei, affected by the pandemic, Guangzhou's total import and export trade value stood at 347.7 billion yuan (about US$49 billion) for the first five months in 2020, an 7.8% decline year-on-year. While the total import value dropped 15.8%, the total export value saw a 0.1% increase year-on-year between January and May, reaching 191.53 billion yuan (about US$26.9 billion). A report from the city's commerce bureau, however, suggests that 84% of nearly 300 foreign trade companies would see a decline in orders in the third quarter compared to that of last year.

"Local companies may breath a sign of relief with the expected orders from international markets at the fair," Wei stressed.

As one of the metropolis with mature exhibition industries in China, Guangzhou is speeding up the construction of intelligent exhibitions. "A new attempt to combine exhibition with digital technologies, the online fair will set an example for traditional fairs in terms of innovative development, including the adoption of internet, big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence," said Wei.

The bureau said that Guangzhou's major exhibition venues have held 690 exhibition activities in 2019, covering a total area of more than 10.24 million square meters, ranking second among Chinese cities.