from:MOFCOM

The 105th Canton Fair shall be held in Guangzhou from April 15 to May 7, 2009. Presently, under the grim situation of economic downturn triggered by the international financial crisis, MOFCOM attaches great importance to the holding of the said Canton Fair, and the preparatory meeting of the 105th Canton Fair was held in Beijing on January 5 to 6, Vice Minister Zhong Shan was present at the meeting. Reporters learned from the meeting that the 105th Canton Fair shall return booth fees in order to reduce the participation cost of enterprises, and to enhance their capacity for developing the international market through the platform of Canton Fair.

Zhong said at the meeting that this year is the most difficult and challenging year for its economic development since we entered into the new century, and to maintain a stable export growth is the most important priority at present. MOFCOM shall focus on creating a good policy environment, public opinion environment and business environment for enterprise development. He said that the export volume of Canton Fair, which is held twice a year, is some USD 70 billion, accounting for 14% of the nation