JEDDAH — Saudi Arabia is considered as one of the largest and most important trading partners of the People's Republic of China in West Asia and Africa. In the 116th edition of Canton Fair last year, more than 2,522 Saudi businessmen attended the event. In this year's 117th edition of the Fair, a promotional campaign was launched recently in Jeddah for the Chinese import & export fair (Canton Fair) in the presence of Chinese Consul An Waer, and Chinese Commercial Counselor Wei. Chinese Foreign Trade Center, the regulatory body of the fair, in collaboration with the Chinese Commercial Attaché in Jeddah, have launched a promotional campaign in Saudi Arabia recently to define the importance of the Canton Fair in the region. In an effort to attract more participants at its 117th edition, this year was focused on the importance of the Saudi market and its significance in the region. It encourages Saudi investors to expand the horizons of cooperation and strengthen the ties with Chinese business. Canton Fair 2015 (The 117th China Import and Export Fair) is the largest biannual China trade fair held in Guangzhou. It's no wonder that the Canton Fair 2015 has already become a must see for all those looking for business success in China. The Fair comes in three phases: Phase 1 on April 15-19, Phase 2 on April 23-27 and Phase 3 is slated on May1-5, 2015. All three have the same time schedule, which is from 9:30 to18:00. Saudi Arabia is considered one of the largest and most important trading partners of the People's Republic of China in West Asia and Africa. This relationship has witnessed rapid progression in trade and economic cooperation. Chinese Consul An Waer said "bilateral cooperation of our countries witnessed rapid progressions in the fields of economy, trade and energy. The commercial exchange of 2004 between the two countries was estimated $69.1 billion, including 9.8% growth in imports from China to Saudi Arabia that reached $20.6 billion. Saudi Arabia remains the largest and the most important trading partner of China in the Middle East. We hope all Saudi businessmen participate and attend the Canton Fair to act jointly to push forward the cooperative economic and trade relations between both countries. Liu Jianjun, deputy head of the Chinese Foreign Trade Center, said the Canton Fair has recently become one of the most important assemblies for most Saudi businessmen, with a significant increase in Saudi visitors that attended the 116th edition of the Canton Fair last fall making a total of 2,520 Saudi businessmen, ultimately making the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia one of the most attended countries in the Middle East. Noticeably 63.8% of them were regular visitors, which demonstrates the diverse and excellent products we offer at the fair." Canton Fair is considered the world's largest and most widely known fair in terms of large amount products and visitors/exhibitors numbers after its inception in 1957. It is held twice a year in Canton city in north China. The 1170,000 square meter venue displays nearly 150,000 products at competitive prices. In its 116th edition last October, 186,000 businessmen attended from 211 different countries, which indicate its commercial significance and important contribution to global trading. China is also the primary source of the Kingdom's imports (2011 data) and the fifth-largest importer of Saudi Arabia export products (the Kingdom is in fact the largest trading partner of China in West Asia and North Africa). Wie encouraged Saudi businessmen to participate in the 117 edition this year, considering this event is a platform to promote their services to most important business entities in China and large companies in the rest parts of the world, showing the Canton Fair is the most effective way to develop business relationships to success in China, a Fair that proved its leading position as a prominent event, and a must visited by all of those who seek success in business world in China. — SG
