Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, south China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Aerial shot of China Import and Export Fair venue
2. Various of exhibitors, purchasers at fair
3. Various of international merchants taking photos of products, touching screen
4. SOUNDBITE (English) exhibitor from South Korea (starting with shot 3):
"The Canton Fair is the biggest fair in China, because there are many foreign buyers, right? [It] also has very awesome Chinese companies. We'd like to find some Chinese buyers or we'd like to work with some Chinese companies."
5. Various of exhibitors, purchasers communicating; chargers for new energy vehicles
6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhou Fengyin, exhibitor (starting with shot 5/ending with shot 7):
"The number of purchasers from Belt and Road countries has been increasing most rapidly. Every day, there are probably dozens of buyers who are very interested in our products, and are willing to talk about orders and price with us. Since they have already imported many new energy vehicles from China, they want to buy charging piles from China as well to match those vehicles."
7. Various of charging pile on display
8. Various of exhibitors, purchasers, products
9. Aerial shot of poster for Canton Fair

A free trade agreement for countries in the Asia Pacific has encouraged more businesses in the region to explore the Chinese market at the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair.

The grand expo kicked off in south China's Guangzhou City on April 15. Its 135th session has attracted over 29,000 companies across the world.

Deepening implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a trade agreement that entered into force in 2022 and comprises 15 Asia-Pacific countries, has provided a broader market for its member states that is enticing many first-time attendees to the fair.

Among these newcomers is a South Korean AI company, which chose to exhibit at the fair due to lowered costs and taxes as well as an improved trade environment in the Chinese market. A representative said the firm hopes to build connections with Chinese consumers and partners at the event.

"The Canton Fair is the biggest fair in China, because there are many foreign buyers, right? [It] also has very awesome Chinese companies. We'd like to find some Chinese buyers or we'd like to work with some Chinese companies," said the South Korean exhibitor.

Meanwhile, purchasers from signatory countries are becoming an important customer source for Chinese exporters at the Canton Fair.

One firm specializing in manufacturing and developing charging piles has been seeing a steep rise in orders from RCEP countries, as well as countries party to the China-proposed Belt and Road agreement, which promotes trade connectivity.

"The number of purchasers from Belt and Road countries has been increasing most rapidly. Every day, there are probably dozens of buyers who are very interested in our products, and are willing to talk about orders and price with us. Since they have already imported many new energy vehicles from China, they want to buy charging piles from China as well to match those vehicles," said Zhou Fengyin, an exhibitor.

The current session of the biannual fair incorporates three separate five-day phases that will run through to May 5.