The 121st China Import and Export Fair gets underway at the China Import and Export Fair Pazhou Complex from April 15 to May 5. [Photo by Li Qingzhao/Xinhua]

China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, has a long history dating back to 1957. Hosted by the Ministry of Commerce of China and the People's Government of Guangdong province, and organized by China Foreign Trade Center, it is a biannual event held every spring and autumn in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province.

Canton Fair is a comprehensive international trading event with the longest history, the largest scale, the most complete exhibit variety, the largest number of participants, and the greatest business turnover in China.

As of the 120th session, accumulated export volume from the event has amounted to about $1.23 trillion and the total number of overseas buyers has reached 7.83 million. About 200,000 buyers attend the fair from more than 210 countries and regions all over the world in each session.

This year, the 1.18-million-square-meter exhibition area offers more than 60,000 stands for 24,700 companies home and abroad. More than half of the foreign buyers and exhibitors at this year's spring Canton Fair, are from Belt and Road countries, under China's Belt and Road Initiative.

After 60 years' reform and innovative development, the fair enhances trade connections between China and the world, demonstrating China's image and achievements of development. It is an outstanding platform for Chinese enterprises to explore the international market and an exemplary base to implement China's strategies for foreign trade growth. The Canton Fair serves as the first and foremost platform to promote China's foreign trade, and a barometer of the foreign trade sector.