First ‘cloud signing’ held among event participants

The China Foreign Trade Centre signed cooperation agreements with four industrial and commercial organizations from countries of Egypt, Lebanon, Nigeria and Tanzania on Monday, marking the first “cloud signing” of the 128th China Import and Export Fair, or the Canton Fair.

The cloud signing with four industrial and commercial organizations will help promote trade transactions and the development of economic and trade relations among all parties, said Li Jinqi, director general of the China Foreign Trade Centre.

Li, who also serves as the deputy director-general of the Canton Fair, said that since its inception, the fair has received strong support from the global business community.

To expand Canton fair’s global marketing network and better play the fair’s role as an all-round cooperative platform, the foreign trade centre has established partnerships with influential and powerful overseas industrial and commercial institutions in recent years, Li said.

The centre is committed to build an all-dimensional, multi-tiered and diversified business ecosystem by sharing resources and channels and carrying out pragmatic and efficient cooperation with each stakeholder, Li added.

Zhao Liying, consul general of China in Alexandria, Egypt, said that faced with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the complex international situation this year, China has always been committed to opening wider to the rest of the world.

The ongoing 128th Canton Fair is a practical measure taken by China to deepen exchanges and cooperation and help boost common development, Zhao added.

“It is hoped that Egyptian businessmen will make better use of the Canton Fair to seize more opportunities in the Chinese market and inject new momentum into the development of bilateral economic and trade relations.”

Chu Maoming, China’s consul general in Lagos, Nigeria, said that China has seen a fast recovery since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. 

And the rapid development of China has provided a strong driving force for the bilateral economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

The cooperation agreement signed at the 128th Canton Fair is expected to help enterprises of the two countries reach further economic and trade exchanges, Chu added.