Coronavirus outbreak in southern China forces organisers to postpone Shanghai Air Expo

Some scheduled exhibitors from high risk areas in Guangdong could not participate in the international aviation and aerospace event

Shanghai Air Expo was cancelled last year due to Covid-19, highlighting ongoing challenges for companies during the pandemic

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The Shanghai Air Expo, which is designed to showcase China’s civil aviation and aerospace development, has been postponed due to a cluster of Covid-19 infections in Guangdong. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 1:01pm, 2 Jun 2021Updated: 1:40pm, 2 Jun 2021

China has postponed an international aviation and aerospace expo in Shanghai following a surge of Covid-19 infections in the southern province of Guangdong, highlighting ongoing challenges for businesses operating during the pandemic.

“Due to the recent outbreak, some scheduled exhibitors from high and medium-risk regions cannot come to Shanghai to participate in the exhibition,” organisers of the Shanghai International Aerospace Technology and Equipment Exhibition said in a statement on Wednesday.

“As a result, we were forced to postpone the Shanghai Air Expo, originally scheduled for June 16 to June 18.”

China recorded 24 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, 14 of which were imported, according to the National Health Commission. The 10 local cases were all reported in Guangdong province, a national manufacturing hub.

Over the past few days, authorities in Guangdong have expanded rapid viral screening and lockdown measures in response to the outbreak of a fast-spreading strain first found in India.

State news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday that 38 zones in the provincial capital Guangzhou, where the mini-outbreak is concentrated, have been locked down. The latest measures follow drastic restrictions on outbound travel from the city to sever virus transmission routes.