Canton Fair Briefing by the China Foreign Trade Center Delegation.

 Datuk Naim Mohamad's opening remarks.

 Mr Ong Yew Chee, Datuk Naim, Puan Sri Datin Sri Dr Cheah. 

Mr Ye Ji Jiang, Dato Chong Chong Tik and MrZhai Yi Bo.

 Exchange of gifts

Thumbs up for the 120th Canton Fair

Preamble

In this Digital Age, one will wonder why Exhibitions and Trade fairs are still relevant when one can in one’s lounge, office, home or bed get the information and products online at anytime.

In Malaysia in the year 2000, there are only 3,700,000 internet users and by the end of 2015 there are already 21,090,777 internet users. As far as the world is concerned, there are now

3.5 billion users as compared to 361 million in the year 2000. Over 15 years there is an increase of about 888 percent.

But Exhibitions and Trade Fairs are still important because here people can see and touch the products, creations and inventions personally and also at the same time have personal communication with the sellers. It is also a golden opportunity for manufacturers to asses their

Competitors and to look out for the latest products.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank The China Foreign Trade Center and also the Ministry of Commerce, the Peoples Republic of China and their associates and counterparts for inviting us to participate in such a momentous event.

Thank you to ES Events for organizing the briefing and also MATRADE for supporting this Trade Fair.

Introduction

Canton Fair started in 1957, the year when we gain our independence and since then had flourished, expanded and grow into the biggest Trade Fair in the world surpassing and overtaking the Hannover event in Germany.

Review of the previous 119^th Canton Fair

185,596 overseas buyers from 210 countries and regions around the world attended the 119th Canton Fair.

In terms of buyer attendance of all continents in descending order, the number of buyers from Asia totaled 106,462, ; Europe 31,118,; Americas 27,370,; Africa 14,544  and Oceania 6,102.

The number of buyers from countries in the “Belt and Road Initiative” stood at 81,601.

The top 10 countries and regions in terms of buyer source are Hong Kong, India, the United States, Taiwan Province, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Russia, Indonesia, and Australia.

The accumulated export transaction of this session totaled 182.288 billion RMB Yuan

(or 28,084 billion US dollars).