Belt and Road countries to have bigger presence at Canton Fair

This year's China Import and Export Fair, known as the Canton Fair, will feature more exporters and importers from Belt and Road countries.

Canton Fair spokesman Xu Bing said this year's fair increased efforts to attract exhibitors from these countries resulting in 364 companies from 24 countries along the Belt and Road participating.

Xu said the countries and regions along the Belt and Road are important to the Canton Fair.

Since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, buyers from these countries have accounted for more than 30 percent of all fair participants each year.

As the Belt and Road Initiative is being implemented, trade between China and the Belt and Road countries is booming.

Last year, trade between China and these countries reached $850 billion, accounting for more than 25 percent of total foreign trade.

The Canton Fair will continue to deepen economic and trade cooperation with the Belt and Road countries, Xu said.

This year's Canton Fair will?kick off?in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province, on April 15.

As China's largest trade fair and a barometer of foreign trade, the 121st Canton Fair has about 60,000 booths for more than 24,000 companies from home and abroad.