BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- More than 40,000 domestic and foreign purchasers are projected to attend the 33rd East China Fair (ECF), which is being held in east China's Shanghai from March 1 to 4.
The fair is jointly organized by the commerce authorities from cities and provinces in east China, including Shanghai, Nanjing and Ningbo as well as the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi and Shandong. Since its inception in 1991, it has become an important barometer of China's foreign trade.
Covering 115,000 square meters, this year's fair features over 5,100 booths across six themed sections of garments, textiles, home products, gifts, cross-border e-commerce, and overseas products.
About 3,000 export enterprises from the nine eastern cities and provinces are participating in the fair, aiming to seize new opportunities in foreign trade.
Shanghai Silk Group Co., Ltd. has once again brought its women's clothing brand LILY to the ECF this year. Calvin Chen, director of LILY brand's international business, noted that many of the clothes showcased at the fair would become available in stores in Southeast Asia and other regions as early as the end of March.
Many attending foreign trade enterprises exhibit innovative products and items tailored to niche market demands.
For instance, Jiangxi Daishing POF Co., Ltd. has presented its "luminescent" fabrics, which are woven from plastic optic fibers and yarns. Products made from this material, such as baseball caps and pet clothing, will emit light in the dark, thus enhancing safety during nighttime.
He Jian, who is in charge of the company's business, said that the company developed around 20 to 30 new clients in the 32nd ECF and received inquiries from dozens of customers shortly after the 33rd ECF kicked off.
Innovation in trade has made China's exports more resilient, said Ji Shengjun, president of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export. He added that the proportion of high-tech-intensive industry exports in the total is on the rise.
(Edited by Su Dan with Xinhua Silk Road, sudan@xinhua.org)
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