Ebola fears blamed for poor turnout at mainland's largest trade fair

The number of buyers attending the mainland's largest trade fair was down significantly yesterday, the first day of its autumn session, with the downturn attributed to fear of the Ebola virus and global economic gloom.

The opening of the fair coincided with reports the number of Ebola cases in West Africa could reach between 5,000 and 10,000 a week by December and that a second nurse who contracted the virus while treating a patient in Texas boarded a plane the day before she fell ill, sparking fears the disease could spread elsewhere in the US.

Exhibitors at the Canton Fair, held twice a year in eastern Guangzhou, said they had seen far fewer buyers yesterday than at the spring session in April.

"In the past the hall was full of people. There are fewer people this session, around half of that in the spring session this year," said Joyce Lin, a sales representative for Guangdong Kito Ceramics, which sells ceramics used for building materials. She said her company's exports had declined.

Canton Fair spokesman Liu Jianjun said before the fair opened that the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa could have an impact on the number of buyers arriving from Africa.

"There are indeed fewer people from Africa this time," said Mustafa Morbiwala, a buyer from Pakistan, who was visiting the trade fair for the fourth time, sourcing hardware and tools. He said he was not worried about the virus as it was not affecting Asia.