Canton Fair's offline export deals hit $21.69 billion

(ECNS) -- The offline export deals worth a total of 21.69 billion U.S. dollars were signed during the 133rd China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair), higher than expected, said Canton Fair spokesperson Xu Bing.

The event was held in three periods from April 15 to May 5 in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, and concluded on Friday.

Chinese enterprises participating in this event said foreign buyers showed strong desire to order and moved quickly, even though some of them couldn't come to the offline exhibitions, according to Xu.

Some foreign buyers also made appointments to visit factories and more contracts are expected to be signed in the future.

As of May 4, the event had attracted overseas buyers from more than 220 countries and regions either online or offline, with nearly 130,000 buyers attending the offline exhibitions and 390,000 buyers attending the online exhibitions. About 300 activities have been held to display new products, according to the spokesperson.

The event highlighted the fact that Chinese manufacturing is constantly moving toward the higher end of the global value chain, demonstrating the resilience and vitality of China's foreign trade, Xu said. 

The Canton Fair will organize activities to connect suppliers and buyers based on their demand, Xu added.