Reform in air at the Canton fair
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Going to the Canton Fair used to be thought of as an important step on the road to reform by Chinese companies, because, at the nation's largest trade event, they would find foreign buyers and thus connecting themselves with the world market.
But now, the China Import and Export Fair, the official name of the Canton Fair, is also experiencing some important reforms of its own.
Instead of sending individual invitations to overseas buyers and exhibitors, the biannual fair is paying more attention to building partnerships with overseas chambers of commerce and industrial organizations.
At the same time, instead of focusing on the export business, the fair is now attempting to promote both imports and exports by inviting overseas enterprises to exhibit in its recently set-up international pavilion.
The Canton Fair's reforms have been ongoing since 2004, and this year, at the 107th session of the Canton Fair in April, the latest change was the exclusive service counters provided on a trial basis to its chamber of commerce and business association partners.
Wang Zhiping, director-general of China Foreign Trade Center, the Canton Fair's organizer, told China Daily: "Up to now, we've signed cooperative agreements or memorandum of understanding with 68 influential overseas chambers of commerce and business associations around the world."
With this new service, corporate and individual members of the overseas chambers of commerce and industry associations can take advantage of the solutions that the organizers provide, ranging from trade information to assistance with purchasing, and avoid many difficulties, Wang explained.
Four overseas chambers of commerce - the China-Britain Business Council, the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China, the Brazil-China Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the China Brazil Investment Development & Trade Center - have already decided to take advantage of this new service, organizers said.
The April session of the Canton Fair attracted more than 200,000 overseas buyers from 212 countries and regions, and with export contracts totaling $34.3 billion, up 12.6 percent from the previous session.
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