Canton Fair launches online center for new products

Organizers of the China Import and Export Fair, widely known as the Canton Fair, have launched an online center to promote new products made by Chinese exporters, hoping to boost transactions despite a global downturn in trade.

The center is part of e-cantonfair.com, launched in 2013 as a way to supplement the trade event. It will help boost cross-border e-commerce for Chinese exporters, according to Song Chao, deputy chairman of the Canton Fair E-Commerce Co.

"A growing number of global buyers are visiting the Canton Fair, looking for new Chinese products, which feature innovative design and superior quality," Song said.

The online new product center will help improve trade efficiency by providing one-stop services for global buyers, according to Song.

New products being promoted online are also seen offline at the autumn session of the Canton Fair, which opened on Oct 15 in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province.

The fair, which is held twice a year in spring and fall, is seen as a barometer of China's trade.

The fair's fall session has reported a decline in the number of overseas buyers, painting a gloomy picture for transactions once it ends on Nov 5.

"We will integrate online-to-offline resources of Chinese exporters and global buyers to improve efficiency of the booming cross-border e-commerce," Song said.

The online platform has cooperated with TÜV Rheinland, a global provider of technical safety and certification services with headquarters in Cologne, Germany, to provide third-party assessment information on Chinese exporters for global buyers.

Launching the online center was part of the efforts of the fair's organizers to improve the efficiency of the biggest traditional physical trade event in China by promoting Internet-based services.

Xu Bing, the fair's spokesman, said organizers have adopted a series of smart measures to provide online-to-offline services for Chinese exporters and international buyers.

For example, the organizers upgraded their mobile application service by launching an official website mobile application platform, Xu said.

Zhai Jiajia contributed to this story.