Maritime Silk Road goods to shine in Dongguan

Exhibitors from 52 countries and regions along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road will gather in Dongguan, Guangdong province for an international expo running from Oct 27 to 30.

The Guangdong 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo has been held in the city for the past two years.

In 2014, some 42 countries and regions took part, signing deals for 451 projects worth 174.7 billion yuan ($25.8 billion).

In 2015, it attracted 50 countries and regions and signed 680 projects worth 201.8 billion yuan, up 15.5 percent on the previous year.

This year's event has around 20 percent more purchasers attending, and so the organizers expect more deals signed.

As usual, famous overseas products will be on show, including jewelry and gems from South Africa, dairy products and chocolate from New Zealand, durian and coconut from Thailand, agate and carpets from Pakistan, sapphire and long-grain rice from Cambodia and seafood from Brunei.

Silk products are exhibited at the Bangladesh booth during the 2015 Guangdong 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo. [Photo/Official website of the expo]

The Malaysian business delegation will have 276 booths in their pavilion at the expo, the most for all foreign countries, offering commodities such as white coffee, ginseng, chocolate, and cocoa.

"The bilateral trade volume between China and Malaysia has surpassed the benchmark of $100 billion with one quarter coming from the trade with Guangdong," said Chen Youxin, president of Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce. "The expo is a highlight of the trade between Malaysia and Guangdong."

The Malaysian business delegation has 270 booths at the 2015 Guangdong 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo. [Photo/Official website of the expo]

Italy and Mauritius will take part in the event for the first time. Italian exhibitors will woo attendees with their well-known food and wines, while Mauritius will showcase its food, handicrafts and tourism products, in its 34 booths.

Chinese exhibitors will remind people of traditional products featured on the ancient Maritime Silk Road, including tea, silk, embroidery, and porcelain.

Foreign buyers experience tea products served up at the expo. [Photo/Official website of the expo]

Apart from the exhibitions, there will be rich array of activities during the expo. One of the key events will be the Production Capacity Cooperation and Innovative Development High-End Forum which will be held at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Convention Center on Oct 28.

Addresses on capacity cooperation and innovative development brought by the Belt and Road Initiative will be presented by current and former key members of the governments of countries and regions along the Maritime Silk Road.

The event serves to enhance non-governmental exchanges, increase air routes and facilitate interconnection between Guangdong and countries and regions along the Maritime Silk Road.