CIEF helps poverty alleviation

Besides access to global outreach, businesses at the 127th Canton Fair benefit from cost-cutting perks

The ongoing 127th China Import and Export Fair, also known as Canton Fair, is making efforts to help companies from low-income areas in China access overseas markets.

The fair sets "zero thresholds" for businesses from low-income areas to participate in its online exhibitions, and provides targeted services for them, including online marketing training and easy access to their exhibits.

"Shifting from offline to online, the 127th Canton Fair has no application threshold for enterprises form poor areas, which has indeed provided great help for us to expand overseas markets," said Wang Lei, marketing planner with Tianshui Great Wall Fruit Juice Group in Northwest China's Gansu province.

On this global platform of the Canton Fair, enterprises from poor areas are granted more opportunities to showcase their products to both domestic and foreign buyers, Wang said, adding that the online fair helps companies cut costs because they don't need to host exhibits at a brick-and-mortar venue.

Baoyisheng Pharmaceutical, a company specializing in traditional Chinese medicine, is based in Longde county of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

The inconvenience and cost of transportation normally leaves the company with little chance of attending high-level exhibitions.

"As we are located at the foot of Liupan Mountain in southern Ningxia, we have high-quality herbal resources," said Tian Yongqiang, general manager of the company. "These past couple days, our livestream has attracted a lot of visitors to learn about our products. We will make full use of the Canton Fair platform and strive to sell our high-quality products abroad."

To enhance its international marketing, the company plans to set up professional marketing teams in Guangzhou and other coastal cities, Tian said.

A foreign trade company located in Gansu is also poised to sell its quality agricultural products to overseas markets.

Chen Yu, general manager of the company, said that the agricultural products the company brought to the online Canton Fair, including pumpkin seeds, chili and red jujube, have attracted a raft of foreign buyers.

"With people's increasing awareness of staying healthy, we believe that quality agricultural products will have brighter market prospects overseas," Chen said.

Canton Fair Call Centre

Canton Fair Hong Kong Representative Office