East China Fair opens in Shanghai with over 3,325 enterprise exhibitors

As a miniature of China's resilient trade and economic development, the East China Fair (ECF) opened its four-day exhibition on Sunday in Shanghai at a record scale, according to official sources.

"After more than three decades of development, the ECF has grown into an internationally influential exhibition, an important window for enterprises to showcase quality products and expand trade, as well as a professional platform for gaining insights into industry trends and leading industrial upgrades," Zhu Min, deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai Municipal Government, said during a speech made at the opening ceremony of the event in Shanghai on Sunday.

"As a vivid reflection of China's vigorous trade development, ECF is expecting nearly 50,000 professional buyers from home and abroad this year," Zhu said.

Ye Jun, a commissioner of the Ministry of Commerce's Shanghai representative office, said despite ongoing adjustments in global trade and rising uncertainties, China's foreign trade has delivered a solid performance.

The country's total goods imported and exported reached 45.47 trillion yuan ($6.61 trillion), up 3.8 percent year-on-year, marking the ninth consecutive year of positive growth in foreign trade, according to Ye.

"In the meantime, the ECF has developed into a major trade event in the light industry and textiles with international influence," Ye said. "Over more than 30 years, it has witnessed China's foreign trade's development from small to its current scale, as well as accompanied East China's foreign trade enterprises from initial exploration to full integration into the global market."

So far, 86 companies have participated in all 34 editions of the exhibition, while 544 companies have taken part in more than 10 editions, underscoring the event's strong appeal as one of the largest regional trade fairs in the textile, clothing, and light industries, according to Zhu.

Initiated in 1991, this year ECF has set up an exhibition area of 115,000 square meters and 5,291 standard booths, nearly 200 more than that of last year. The event attracts more than 3,325 enterprise exhibitors, including 375 participants from 14 countries and regions, according to the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce.