TRIPOLI – 30 MAR 2017 – The China Foreign Trade Centre, the official organisers, announced that the 121st China Import and Export Canton Fair (the Canton Fair) will be held in Guangzhou (China) from April 15th till May 5th, co-hosted by the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China and the People’s Government of Guangdong Provence. The announcement was made at a promotional video conference at The CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, INDUSTRY & AGRICULTURE of TRIPOLI (CCIAT) where its president Mr. Toufic Dabboussi along with a number of Lebanese entrepreneurs, enterprise owners and media were present.
Mr. Toufic Daboussi, the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Agriculture in Tripoli and North Lebanon, expressed on the video promotional conference for launching the 121th Canton Fair, his pride in the close economic ties between Lebanon and China and the importance of bilateral relations in the field of trade. Mr. Daboussi stressed the importance of effective partnership with China, a country that is economically rich and which monitors trillions of dollars and records its presence firmly in the international economic arena.
‘’In recent years, the Sino-Lebanese economic and trade cooperation has developed rapidly. China is the largest trade partner of the Lebanon’’ said Ms. Tracy Mai, the Canton Fair’s International VIP Service Senior Manager. “At the 120th Canton Fair, last autumn, Lebanon ranked the 4th largest in attendance among all the Arab countries.”
The total bilateral trade volume between China and Lebanon in 2016 was at 2.1 billion US dollars, where Lebanon mainly sourced electronics and household electrical appliances, Textile & Garments, home decorations and consumer goods.
The promotional conference unveiled the activities and services that will be on offer to the participants who will attend China’s leading trade fair and welcomed Lebanese businesses to participate in the Canton Fair’s International Pavilion to exhibit Lebanese local products and enjoy the global business opportunities available.
“The Canton Fair offers a variety of unrivalled commodities to the Lebanese market and we are optimistic that this will open doors to exceptional Lebanese products to enter the huge Chinese market,” added Ms. Tracy Mai. “We believe that this is a unique platform in the new Silk Road, offering vast economic prospects for both Lebanon and China.”
Focused on international market demands, the Canton Fair’s total exhibition area will reach 1.18 million square meters, including 60,000 booths, where exhibits of over 150,000 categories of quality and feature products, both from China and overseas, will be available in 16 exhibit sections.
The total exhibition area at the International Pavilion, where foreign enterprises participate and export to China is 20,000 sq. meters with 1,000 booths.
The Canton Fair Facebook page opens a new channel of communication for all interested parties to visit and enjoy special offers, pictures, videos and latest information about the Canton Fair. It is accessible in 6 languages mainly, English, French, Spanish, Arabic, traditional and simplified Chinese.
The Canton Fair offers a variety of exhibition services such as Overseas VIP Lounge, Multinational Enterprises Sourcing Services for over 38 international brand retailers and a series of special airfare offers for buyers from the Middle East and African regions, through the 121st& 122ndCanton Fair official airline partner, Qatar Airways.
The Canton Fair home website launches the “Highlight Products” section to display the highest quality products online prior to the Canton Fair event.
In the 120th Canton Fair, a total of 186,000 professional buyers from 213 countries visited the Fair, where 1400 came from Lebanon, mainly interested in electronics, household electrical appliances, home decorations and consumer goods.
The Canton Fair pledges to protect Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) of all enterprises by setting a special office to receive trade disputes related to IPR infringements.