Coronavirus: China to hold its largest trade fair online amid growing signs export slump may worsen
- China will hold the spring session of its largest trade expo online in late June
- The Canton Fair was originally expected to run between mid-April and early May, but was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic
The spring session of the Canton Fair, China’s oldest and largest trade expo, will be held online in the second half of June, the government has announced.
The government’s decision to shift the expo online marks the first time that the 63-year-old fair will not happen in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, underlining the unprecedented pressure facing the nation’s export sector as the coronavirus disrupts global trade.
The biannual show, which normally lures about 200,000 buyers each session, went ahead during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) epidemic in 2003.
A meeting of China’s State Council – the country’s cabinet – led by Premier Li Keqiang said the move was due to “the grim global epidemic”.
“The pandemic is accelerating with huge effects on the world economy and global trade,” read a statement released on Monday.
Even in the era of e-commerce, the fair, which started in 1957, remains a key platform for Chinese exporters to showcase their products to potential buyers. It is often seen as a barometer of the country’s trade economy.
Only four weeks ago, China still intended to have a full-scale physical event.
