Canton Fair: There's No Stopping Opportunity

GUANGZHOU, China, May 10 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Those most successful in business tend to see adversity not as an obstacle, but as an opportunity. Year in and year out, nearly a quarter million perspicacious sellers and buyers from around the world have the foresight to look beyond economic conditions and fiscal forecasts to seek real profit. This year, many headed to the Canton Fair, organized by the China Foreign Trade Centre, to do just that.

General Manager of Taiwan Star Industrial Inc., Mr. Lee, came to Guangdong for the seventh time. His insistence on doing business at the Fair, even in bad fiscal weather, has paid off: since last year alone, his company has seen a remarkable 10% increase in orders. It's not difficult to see how.

Ranging from industrial machinery to chemical coatings, textiles and beyond, the 107th installment of the Canton Fair boasted more than 150,000 different types of products on display. For anybody with a knack for business, such a wide spectrum represents nothing less than a goldmine; it's be there or be square. Even for those who only have time to visit a fraction of the 56,000 booths at the Fair -- like the busy Mr. Lee -- opportunity usually comes knocking.

When it comes to the international economy, cloudy skies are often the topic of conversation. At the Canton Fair, it's all about the silver lining. Here, not only are Chinese products of first-class quality, but foreign products possess unprecedented demand in the Chinese market. Unsurprisingly, a growing number of people have begun to figure this out.

The number of foreign buyers in attendance maintained steady growth this year, coming from most all major markets including Asia, the Americas, Africa and Oceania. But according to what President of the Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce Datuk Yong Ah Pwi had seen, the increasing number of participants from smaller, emerging markets shows that the world economy has already undergone an initial rebound, as has consumer confidence.

As of May 4, figures counted an impressive 203,996 buyers from 212 countries and regions in attendance. Meanwhile, export turnover has already climbed to $34.3 billion USD. The Canton Fair has indeed become the choice destination for active participants in the global economic recovery.

SOURCE China Foreign Trade Centre (CFTC)